MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Beijing Platform for Action

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Minister for Women what her plans are for involvement in the Beijing Platform for Action, known as Beijing +10.

Patricia Hewitt: The celebration and evaluation of the 10 years since the Beijing Platform for Action will be an integral part of the UK Government's work on gender equality in 2005. The 49th Session of the Commission for the Status for Women (CSW) at the United Nations in March 2005 will review and appraise the implementation of Beijing over the last 10 years. The cross-Whitehall UK Government delegation will actively participate at CSW. We have already begun feeding into this process, completing a United Nations questionnaire on progress made since 1995 in the UK (available at www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk), which will feed into the UN Secretary-General's report. During the UK Presidency of the EU, July to December 2005, we will host a major European conference and a Ministerial Informal meeting to consider best practice across the EU in relation to national implementation of the Beijing Platform. The UK Government are a strong advocate of the Beijing Platform for Action and UN initiatives to further gender equality.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Divisions

Norman Baker: To ask the Leader of the House if he will seek to amend the practice of Divisions to allow abstentions to be recorded.

Phil Woolas: I have no plans to do so.

Sitting Hours

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Leader of the House when he expects to publish proposals for revised sitting hours of the House.

Peter Hain: The Modernisation Committee, which I chair, is conducting an inquiry into the sitting hours of the House. I hope that it will report its findings to the House by the end of the year.

Parliamentary Publications

Paul Truswell: To ask the Leader of the House what representations he has received since 27 April from the Plain English Campaign regarding the language used in parliamentary publications.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend has received no representations from the Plain English Campaign since March of this year, when representatives of that organisation met with the Modernisation Committee as part of its inquiry into Connecting Parliament with the Public.

SCOTLAND

Immigration

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met the First Minister to discuss Scottish immigration issues.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend and I have regular meetings with Scottish Ministers and the Home Office to discuss the Government's asylum and immigration policies. I last met the Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Nationality and the Minister for Communities on 2 June this year.

Infantry Regiments

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has held with the Secretary of State for Defence regarding the Scottish infantry regiments.

Alistair Darling: My right hon. Friend and I have had recent discussions on a range of issues including the Scottish infantry regiments.

Consumer Debt

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the level of consumer debt in Scotland.

Anne McGuire: Growth in personal debt across the United Kingdom is slowing down. Estimates of Scottish consumer indebtedness are not readily available. However, at the end of July 2004 the total UK personal debt was £1,014.5 billion.

Post Office Closures

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry about the number of post office closures in Scotland.

Alistair Darling: My right hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland and I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry about a variety of issues.

Civil Service Relocation

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the dispersal of Government jobs to Scotland.

Alistair Darling: Decisions about the relocation of jobs within Government Departments have yet to be made but will be based on Departments' operational needs and individual business cases rather than the particular needs of specific areas or geographies. However, I have made quite clear to other Government Departments the advantages Scotland offers as a location.

Civil Service Relocation

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the impact of the Lyons review in areas in Scotland not named in the King Sturge report; and what active role his Department is taking towards public sector job relocation to Scotland.

Alistair Darling: Decisions about the relocation of jobs within Government Departments have yet to be made but will be based on Departments' operational needs and individual business cases rather than the particular needs of specific areas or geographies. However, I have made quite clear to other Government Departments the advantages Scotland offers as a location and have encouraged them to consider Scotland when reviewing relocation plans.

Small Business Regulation

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has received from small business organisations regarding regulation.

Alistair Darling: I met representatives from Chambers of Commerce throughout Scotland yesterday when a number of regulatory issues were discussed. Furthermore, my hon. Friend., the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, is a member of the Small Business Consultative Group chaired by the Scottish Executive and all meetings of this group have a standing agenda item on regulatory issues. The Government and the Scottish Executive are committed to ensuring that businesses do not face unnecessary regulatory burdens.

Scottish Parliament

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to provide an opportunity to enable the people of Scotland to decide whether they wish to retain a Scottish Parliament.

Alistair Darling: No. The Scottish Parliament represents the settled will of the Scottish people expressed convincingly in the referendum of 1997.

Postal Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has received regarding postal services in Scotland.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend and I receive a wide range of representations on Scottish matters.

Designated Accommodation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many rooms are set aside for (a) the use of smokers, (b) worship, broken down by religion and (c) nursing mothers and pregnant women in each building and set of offices for which his Department is responsible.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office has one room set aside for smokers. No rooms are currently set aside for worship or for nursing mothers and pregnant women and no requests for such rooms have been received, but appropriate arrangements can be made if necessary.

Parliamentary Boundaries

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what indications he has received from the Boundary Commission for Scotland as to when it expects to deliver to him its report on Parliamentary Boundaries in Scotland.

Alistair Darling: It is a matter entirely for the Boundary Commission for Scotland when, before December 2006, it reports to me. The Commission is aware that, following the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004 receiving Royal Assent on 22 July, it is no longer under a duty to review the regional boundaries for the Scottish Parliament. In light of its progress so far, it seems likely that the Commission will report much sooner than its deadline, but the timing is a matter for it.

WALES

Departmental Staff (Upper Age Limits)

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department has (a) a set retirement age that applies to all or most personnel and (b) a maximum age beyond which applications for employment will not be considered; and what the age is in each case.

Peter Hain: Staff working in the Wales Office before June 2003 were on secondment or loan from other Departments—predominantly from the National Assembly for Wales. Their home departments therefore set the retirement age and any retirement taken would be from the home department rather than from the Wales Office.
	Since June 2003 the Wales Office has operated the retirement policy of the Department for Constitutional Affairs for those staff who are not on loan.

Devolved Government

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he next plans to meet the First Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales to discuss the future of Devolved Government in Wales.

Peter Hain: I have regular meetings with the First Minister to discuss a number of different issues that effect Wales, including the future of Devolved Government.

Public Relations

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the salary costs to the Department were for employees working in public relations and publicity in each year since 1997.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office does not have the executive responsibilities which would generally require publicity or public relations expenditure.
	The Wales Office does employ three Press Officers, whose basic salary scales currently range from £23,764 to £31,003, £26,688 to £35,214 and £42,999 to £56,737.

Referendum Threshold

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether it is his policy that a turnout threshold be included in plans for a referendum on granting tax-raising powers to the Welsh Assembly.

Peter Hain: No.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Automotive Emissions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information she has sought about the emissions level that has been established for the automotive sector under the (a) German, (b) French, (c) Spanish and (d) Italian national allocation plans; what this represents as a proportion of actual emissions in 2002; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: We understand that the French, Spanish and Italians are proposing to adopt a narrow interpretation of the scope of the Directive that will exclude, inter alia, installations in the automotive sector from the scheme in those member states. We have already raised this issue with the Commission and will continue to press for them to resolve this issue as soon as possible.
	The German allocation plan does not contain information on sectoral or individual installation allocations so it is not possible to provide an assessment of the emissions levels for their automotive sector. We are pressing Germany and other member states to publish the details of the projections used in their allocation plans to improve transparency in the assessment process.

Automotive Emissions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she last met representatives of the automotive sector to discuss the UK implementation of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Elliot Morley: Officials from Defra and DTI have met with representatives of the automotive sector on a number of occasions, including a meeting with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) in February to discuss the draft National Allocation Plan. Defra officials have attended meetings of the DTI-led Vehicle Industry Policy and European Regulation (VIPER) meetings to discuss the implementation of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS).
	Representatives of the automotive sector have also attended numerous Government seminars covering a range of issues related to the EU ETS.
	Officials from Defra, DTI, Treasury and Number 10 are also due to be meeting with SMMT officials in early August to discuss the EU ETS.

Departmental Accounting Practice

Richard Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who the Finance Director of (a) the Department, (b) the Office for Water Services and (c) the Forestry Commission is; what accountancy qualifications each Director holds; and on how many occasions there has been a qualified opinion on (i) the resource accounts and (ii) other accounts of each in the last five years.

Alun Michael: Defra was formed in June 2001. Currently the Finance Director is Andrew Burchell who took up his post in October 2001. He is a career civil servant who does not hold any CCAB recognised qualification.
	Audit opinion on the Core Department's accounts for the last five years has been as follows:
	
		Since the formation of Defra, the NAO's Opinion on published accounts has been as follows:
		
			  Resource account Vote account 
		
		
			 2001–02 Qualified opinion Not applicable 
			 2002–03 No qualification Not applicable 
			 2003–04 Audit not yet completed Not applicable 
		
	
	Ofwat's Finance Director is Roger Dunshea (joined Ofwat 1998) who does not hold any CCAB recognised qualifications. There have been no qualified opinions on the accounts in the last five years. The 2003–04 audit has not yet been completed.

Emissions Trading

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to (a) maintain UK emissions targets in relation to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme National Allocation Plan and (b) incorporate a proportion of benchmarking into allocations for individual installations under these proposals; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The UK emissions targets in relation to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme National Allocation Plan are set out in the plan that was notified to the Commission in April 2004. We have pointed out that the figures in the plan are subject to further change for a number of reasons, including final updates to the emissions projections.
	Generally, the allocation to incumbent installations (those in operation prior to 1 January 2004) is calculated based on historic emissions. The allocation to new entrant installations (those in operation subsequent to a January 2004) will be calculated using a standardised benchmarking methodology.

Emissions Trading

David Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the percentage allocation of emission permits under the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme to Northern Ireland's power stations will be at the same level as the Great Britain average.

Elliot Morley: The UK National Allocation Plan that was notified to the European Commission in April, stated that the UK had yet to make a final decision on whether the particular characteristics of the electricity supply industry in Northern Ireland made it appropriate to split the power station allocation prior to distribution to installations.
	We are continuing to discuss this with officials from Northern Ireland and intend to make an announcement later this year.

Emissions Trading

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the impact of UK implementation of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme on the competitiveness of vehicle manufacturing in the UK.

Elliot Morley: In the UK National Allocation Plan, sectors that are subject to international competition have been allocated according to projected need. The impact of the scheme on these sectors is expected to be similar to that of existing national policies. In those member states where more effort needs to be made to reach Kyoto targets, the impact of the scheme is expected, over time, to be that much greater.
	We are aware of different proposed implementation in the French and Spanish allocation plans, which would result in the vehicle manufacturing industries in those member states not being included in the scheme. We are continuing to press the Commission to resolve this issue as soon as possible. The UK has also been lobbying the Commission to ensure their assessment of allocation plans is robust, consistent and transparent.

Flood Defences

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what specific resources have been allocated to river and coastal flood defences between 2005–06 and 2007–08; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Defra funds most of the Environment Agency's flood defence activities and provides grant aid on a project-by-project basis to the other flood and coastal defence operating authorities (local authorities and internal drainage boards) to support their investment in improvement projects to manage flood and coastal erosion risk.
	The Department plans to invest at least £564 million each year between 2005–06 and 2007–08 in the management of flood and coastal erosion risk and related expenditure. The amount for flood defence projects (as opposed to projects primarily for coastal erosion or other activities such as funding of the Storm Tide Forecasting Service) will be decided later this year.

Landfill

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) complaints, (b) court actions and (c) fines against landfill sites for problems related to (i) odours, (ii) water pollutions, (iii) air pollution and (iv) human health impact there were in each year since 1995, broken down by region.

Elliot Morley: The Environment Agency holds information on reported incidents of pollution on the National Incident Recording System and information on court actions and fines, separately on the National Enforcement Database. It is not possible to present the data in the form requested so a document setting out the available information will be deposited in the Library of the House.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Venezuela

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support the British Government offered to Venezuela following the floods in Caracas in December 1999; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID provided over £770,000 to Venezuela following the floods in December 1999. This was mainly through the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children's Fund and the British Red Cross. These funds went towards providing emergency assistance for those affected and initiating long-term rehabilitation for up to 10,000 families.

Designated Accommodation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many rooms are set aside for (a) the use of smokers, (b) worship, broken down by religion and (c) nursing mothers and pregnant women in each building and set of offices for which his Department is responsible.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID's two main UK offices at 1 Palace Street, London, and Abercrombie House, East Kilbride, both have a smoking room, a room set aside for worship (not designated for any specific faith) and a nursing mothers room. The provision of facilities such as those for religious groups and nursing mothers is a small but important contribution to our Commitment to creating a workplace which embraces diversity, one of DFID's core values.

Kenya

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the international aid budget was spent in Kenya in each year since 1997.

Hilary Benn: The proportion of DFID's total aid budget which was spent in Kenya in each year since 1997 is set out in the first column of the following table. The second column gives the proportion of DFID's bilateral programme spent in Kenya. In addition to the funding disbursed under DFID's bilateral programme, we estimate that about £10 million is disbursed annually to Kenya through the contributions which we make to multilateral institutions.
	
		Expenditure in Kenya as percentage of DFID programme
		
			  Percentage of total programme Percentage of bilateral programme 
		
		
			 1997–98 1.4 2.8 
			 1998–99 1.4 2.9 
			 1999–2000 1.0 2.0 
			 2000–01 1.8 3.7 
			 2001–02 0.9 1.8 
			 2002–03 1.3 2.4 
			 2003–04 0.7 1.3

Kenya

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the Kenyan Government on aid from the UK in relation to corruption within Kenya.

Hilary Benn: DFID is in regular contact with the Kenyan Government on the issue of corruption and its impact on our development assistance. DFID's Kenya Country Assistance Plan recognises that poverty reduction budget support is the Government of Kenya's preferred form of aid. It also makes clear that the level of British aid to Kenya, and whether or not we will provide bilateral poverty reduction budget support, will depend on the pace with which the Kenyan Government implements its Economic Recovery Strategy, especially in tackling corruption, preparing and implementing budgets that benefit the poor, and strengthening public financial management. Progress is not yet sufficient to enable us to provide such support. This point was most recently reinforced in a meeting with President Kibaki on 1 September.
	We are particularly concerned about recent reports of corruption allegedly involving senior members of the Kenyan Government and have urged President Kibaki, in previous meetings, to ensure that appropriate and firm action is taken to investigate these reports, make the results public and take appropriate action against all those found to have acted corruptly. Some progress is being made, i.e. in the establishment of anti-corruption institutions, but it still remains to be seen whether this will lead to decisive action in the short-term.
	We will, therefore, continue to use sector support and project aid where we believe that it can have a sustainable impact on poverty reduction and progress towards the Millennium Development Goals in Kenya.

PFI/PPP Contracts

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many contracts his Department had with (a) Barclays, (b) Royal Bank of Scotland, (c) UBS Warburg and (d) Bank of Scotland for advice on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts in each financial year since 2001–02; and what fees were paid in each case.

Hilary Benn: None.

Political and Economic Liberalisation

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what research his Department has commissioned regarding connections between political and economic liberalisation and improvements in human security in developing countries.

Hilary Benn: DFID funded research in this area as part of a three year programme on 'Globalisation and Poverty Elimination' between 2000 and 2003. The website address is www.gapresearch.org
	DFID currently funds the Crisis States Development Research Centre based at the London School of Economics. Website www.crisisstates.com.

Somalia

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support he is giving to humanitarian operations in Somalia.

Hilary Benn: So far in 2004 DFID has agreed to provide £2,941,534 for the following ongoing humanitarian operations in Somalia (DFID contribution in brackets):
	African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) "Gedo Regional Health Care programme" (£287,521);
	International Committee of the Red Cross "2004 Appeal" to provide humanitarian assistance—food, health, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene—to those affected by instability and conflict (£400,000);
	International Medical Corps "Primary Health Care in Bay, Bakool and Hiraan regions" (£480,000);
	Medecins sans Frontieres "Basic Health and Nutrition, Lower Juba" (£1,225,390)
	Medecins Sans Frontieres "Primary Health Care, Middle Shabelle" (£424,013);
	United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) "Nutritional Supplementation to children and pregnant women" (£300,000);
	United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) "Expanded Programme on Immunisation, including Polio Eradication Initiative" (£300,000);
	United Nations Office For The Coordination Of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): "Coordination Support Services" (£250,000);
	United Nations Office For The Coordination Of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): "Humanitarian Response Fund" (£500,000).
	The Somali population, due to instability and severe poverty, remains highly vulnerable to climatic and conflict generated crisis. DFID's continuing humanitarian assistance to Somalia will be based on assessed needs and will address immediate and critical problems in order to reduce suffering and save lives.

Sugar Protocol

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether under Common Agricultural Policy reform of the sugar protocol there are mechanisms in place to prevent short-term dumping on developing countries.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The European Commission presented a communication to the Agriculture Council on 19 July that set out their preferred option for reform. The communication proposes to substantially reduce sugar exports and export refunds, abolish intervention, reduce ELI production and the internal sugar price and grant a de-coupled payment to sugar beet farmers. The reform process will start in July 2005. This should make the regime more market oriented and reduce the quantity of EU sugar exported to third markets. If the option were to be agreed, the Commission estimate that the combined, aggregate effect of the proposals on support price and quota reduction would be a significant reduction in the level of EU production under quota, from 17.3 million to 14.5 million tonnes per year. In turn, as a consequence of the substantial reduction in the overall level of EU production, EU subsidised sugar exports dumping are projected to fall by around 2 million tonnes. The Commission communication will be the subject of discussion between the EU Member States over the coming months.

Sugar Protocol

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether under Common Agricultural Policy reform of the sugar protocol there are transitional arrangements for African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The European Commission (EC) presented a Communication to the Agriculture Council on 19 July that set out their preferred option for reform. To address the impact on the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP)s, the European Commission will work with affected countries on the basis of an action plan to be produced by the end of 2004 to define appropriate trade and development measures. Tailor made programmes should help ACPs adapt and improve the competitiveness of their sugar industry where viable or help to support their diversification out of sugar. DFID welcomes this commitment in the Communication and are keen to help facilitate the dialogue between the EC and the ACP on this action plan. DFID is commissioning a study from the Overseas Development Institute that should help those countries affected determine their priorities for a transitional package.

Sugar Protocol

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the Department is funding research into alternative uses for sugar, with particular reference to developing countries, in the light of Common Agricultural Policy reform of the sugar protocol.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has always stressed the need to take account of the impact that reform of the EU sugar regime will have on our developing country preferential suppliers. DFID is conscious that substantial reform will give rise to transitional problems for the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP)s that currently benefit from preferential access to the EU market at existing price levels and for the Least Developed Countries (LDC)s seeking to develop an export trade to Europe under the EBA initiative.
	In order to help inform the debate and ensure the impact on developing countries is taken sufficiently into consideration, DFID commissioned a study last year with LMC International and Oxford Policy Management, 'Addressing the Impact of Preference Erosion in Sugar on Developing Countries'. The study is divided into two sections. The first part assesses the economic and social impact on the ACP Sugar Protocol countries of the various reform scenarios suggested by the European Commission. The latter part of the study assesses alternative options for addressing the impact of preference erosion in sugar. The purpose of this analysis was to identify various options for debate by the ACP and the EU.
	DFID has recently commissioned two further pieces of work on this issue. The first report has been commissioned with LMC International, 'EU Sugar Reform: the Implications for the Development of LDCs and should be finalised early next month. The second report has been commissioned from the Overseas Development Institute, 'Forthcoming changes in EU sugar/banana markets: a menu of options for an effective EU transitional assistance package' and should also be finalised next month. This report should help those countries affected by reform determine their priorities for a transitional package. This report will include some analysis of alternative uses for sugar.

Vietnam

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  if he will outline his Department's strategy with regard to the Montagnard people of Vietnam since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much (a) monetary aid and (b) aid in kind his Department has (i) pledged and (ii) delivered to projects directly impacting on the Montagnard people of Vietnam since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development's (DFID) engagement in Vietnam since 1997 has focused on supporting the Vietnamese Government in implementing its own strategies for poverty reduction. In their five-year plans, the Government of Vietnam has highlighted the severe poverty issues facing the Central Highlands where the majority of the Montagnard people live.
	From 1997 to 2003 DFID's strategy focused on working with other donors. During this period DFID has developed two projects with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) which aim to improve the quality of services provided by the Vietnamese Government to poor people in four provinces of the Central Highlands region. The projects focus on greater participation by poor people in planning and monitoring services, which should ensure that the services provided are more appropriate and of better quality. In addition, DFID has funded UNICEF to improve water supplies to rural areas in three Central Highlands provinces.
	In DFID's Vietnam Country Assistance Plan, 2004–06, a key strategic objective is to strengthen the Government's efforts to achieve development which is socially inclusive. In addition to the co-financed ADB projects mentioned above, DFID is currently addressing the development needs of the Montagnard people through co-financing a number of national programmes, which include Central Highlands provinces, districts and communes along with those in other poor areas of Vietnam. In education, our two national programmes with the World Bank, Primary Education for Disadvantaged Children and Primary Teachers Development Project, are strengthening the capacity of local government to improve the quality of primary education for all children. In transport, DFID is working with the World Bank to improve access to rural roads for poor people and building Government capacity to monitor and forecast associated recurrent budget costs. DFID also co-finance two United Nations Development Programme projects aimed at strengthening the capacities of the National Assembly and a number of provincial People's Councils, including several in the Central Highlands region.
	The only programmes where DFID can explicitly disaggregate it's monetary aid, and aid in kind, for the Montagnard people are for our Rural Transport Programmes, and our Central Region Livelihoods Improvement Programme (CRLIP). Since 1997 our Rural Transport Programmes have disbursed £512, 427 in the two Central Highland provinces of Dak Lak and Gia Lai. The CRLIP has pledged £2,766,667 to the Central Highland Province of Kon Turn.
	The following table details monetary aid from DFID's national programmes that cover the Central Highlands provinces where most of the Montagnard people live in Vietnam.
	
		
			 Project title Allocation (£) Project duration Project location 
		
		
			 Primary Education for Disadvantaged Children (PEDC) 26,500,000 2003–09 38 provinces including four central highland provinces—Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Turn, Lam Dong 
			 Primary Teacher Development Project (PTDP) 8,256,000 2002–05 10 provinces including one central highland province—Kon Turn 
			 Capacity Building for Central Region Poverty Reduction (CBCRPR) 1,800,000 2002–04 Four provinces including one central highland province—Kon Turn 
			 Support to the Office of the National Assembly and People's Councils (ONA project) 330,000 2004–08 15 provinces including two central highland provinces—Dak Lak, Kon Turn 
			 Support to the Committee for Economic and Budgetary Affairs (CEBA) 672,000 2003–08 11 provinces including one central highland province—Lam Dong 
			 Vietnam: Rural Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation Programme—UNICEF Core Funding Project 2,880,000 1999–2002 14 provinces including three central highland provinces—Kon Turn, Gia Lai, Dak Lak

Water and Sanitation Goals

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the Departmental Expenditure Limits agreed up to 2007–08 will be spent in pursuit of the water and sanitation Millennium Development Goals targets (a) directly and (b) indirectly through (i) budget support and (ii) other programmes which require access to safe water and sanitation to be fully effective.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID's support for the water sector is predominantly through our country programmes and support to multi-lateral institutions. This includes direct water sector activities, improvements attributed through assistance to other sectors such as health and education, as well as through our poverty reduction budget support, where expenditure reflects developing countries' own priorities and our assistance is coordinated with that of other donors. DFID works to assist countries to use their budgets to make the biggest impact on reducing poverty. DFID's Water Action Plan published in March 2004 and available on our website: www.dfid.gov.uk emphasises the importance of water and sanitation in all aspects of development.
	DFID does provide significant support to the water sector; DFID's bilateral expenditure alone was estimated at £87 million in 2001–02. DFID is currently undertaking work to update it's estimates and project our likely expenditure on water-related activities through to 2007–08, both bilaterally and multilaterally, including the results of DFID's initial resource allocation round in autumn 2004.
	Critically, during 2005, the international community will be reviewing progress against all the MDGs, including the water and sanitation targets, and there will be a special UN General Assembly discussion. Leading up to that, the UK and other parties will be reviewing what further action needs to be taken on water and sanitation at the UN Commission for Sustainable Development in April 2005.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Summer Recess Visitors

Peter Pike: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many people visited the House during the summer recess.

Archy Kirkwood: Up to and including 1 September, a total of 72,450 people had visited Parliament during the summer recess; 67,757 were on public (paying) tours and 4,693 were on Members' tours.
	The total number of people who have pre-booked and paid for tours on 2, 3 and 4 September and during the conference recess is 6,795. Another 2,161 people have pre-booked, but not yet paid for tours.

Crèche Facilities

Harry Cohen: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment the Commission has made of the need for crèche facilities to be made available for people attending official meetings with hon. Members in the House.(187677)
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Archy Kirkwood: It is important that visitors are made to feel welcome on the Parliamentary Estate. However, the Commission has not made any assessment of the need for crèche facilities to be made available for people attending official meetings with hon. Members. I should point out that very little use is made of the baby care and changing facilities we already provide, and that the reception desks have no record of any request for crèche facilities for visitors.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Advertising

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was spent on advertising and promotional literature for his Department's initiatives, broken down by year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: The amount spent by the Home Office on advertising and publications over this period is set out as follows. Printing and publishing costs were not centralised within the Home Office until 1999–2000 and it is not possible to produce spending figures prior to this. The figures for publications include all Home Office publications including command papers and other policy documents, as well as campaign related literature.
	1996–97
	Advertising spend was £5.23 million in a total communication budget of £8.328 million. Communication spend represents 0.13 per cent. of total Home Office public expenditure of £6,416 million Campaigns included car crime, recruitment of special constables, fire safety and electoral registration.
	1997–98
	Advertising spend was £1.4 million in a total communication budget of £3.372 million. Communication spend represented 0.05 per cent. of total Home Office public expenditure of £6,747 million. Campaigns included recruitment of special constables, fire safety, absent voting and electoral registration.
	1998–99
	Advertising spend was £1.8 million in a total communication budget of £4.194 million. Communication spend represents 0.00005 per cent. of total Home office public expenditure of £7,608,178 million.
	Campaigns included smoke alarms, recruitment of special constables, crime partnerships and electoral registration.
	1999–2000
	Advertising spend was £5.65 million in a total communication budget of £10.08 million which included £2.626 million on publications. Communication spend represents 0.000012 per cent. of total Home Office public expenditure of £7,996,184 million. Campaigns included chip pan safety, fire safety, recruitment of special constables, European parliament elections and electoral registration.
	2000–01
	Advertising spend was £28.36 million in a total communication budget of £35.637 million which included £3.128 million on publications. Communication spend represents 0.00039 per cent. of total Home Office public expenditure of £9,068,695 million. Campaigns included fire safety, vehicle crime and the recruitment of police officers.
	2001–02
	Advertising spend was £14.4 million in a total communication budget of £25 million which included £2.995 million on publications. Communication spend represents 0.00023 per cent. of total Home Office public expenditure of £10,820,813 million. Campaigns included fire safety, vehicle crime, internet child protection, drugs, recruitment of police officers and special constables, and postal voting.
	2002–03
	Advertising spend was £9.9 million in a total communication budget of £18.3 million which included £2.493 million on publications. Communication spend represented 0.00013 per cent. of total Home office public expenditure of £13,493,081 million. Campaigns included vehicle crime, internet child protection, drugs, the firearms amnesty and the recruitment of police officers.
	2003–04
	Advertising spend was £12.487 million in a total communication budget of £22,083 million which included £2.986 million on publications. Communication spend represents 0.00017 per cent. of total Home Office expenditure of £12,605,526 million. Campaigns included vehicle crime, internet child protection, drugs, recruitment of police officers and domestic violence.
	Note:
	Please note that the total public expenditure figures for 1996–97 and 1997–98 were compiled under a different accounting system to later years—and are therefore not directly comparable.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been served in Northampton in each year since their introduction.

Hazel Blears: By 31 March 2004, as notified to the Home Office, one antisocial behaviour order has been issued within the Northampton borough council local government area. This was issued in June 2003.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were (a) applied for and (b) granted in the County of Durham in the last 12 months for which figures are available, broken down by magistrates court.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the following table.
	
		Number of ASBOs, as notified to the Home Office, for all courts in the County of Durham, by complainant and type of court, 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004
		
			  By application 
			   Applications by complainant 
			 Type of court Total applications Local authority Police On conviction(1) Total issued 
		
		
			 Magistrates court  
			 North Durham PSA 8 4 4 2 10 
			 South Durham PSA 3 — 3 — 3 
			   
			 Crown court 
			 Durham CC1 1 
			   
			 County court — — — — — 
			 Total 11 4 7 3 14 
		
	
	(1) Type of applicant not applicable.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in (a) the constituency of Bury St. Edmunds and (b) Suffolk since their introduction.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the following table.
	
		Number of ASBOs, as notified to the Home Office, for all courts in Suffolk, by area, 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2004
		
			 Area Total issued 
		
		
			 Suffolk 45 
			 From 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 by pfa(2) 3 
			 From 1 June 2000 to 31 March 2004 by local  authority area 42 
			 of which:  
			 Mid Suffolk DC — 
			 St. Edmundsbury BC 2 
		
	
	(2) Between 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 data are available by police force area (pfa) only.
	Note:
	The constituency of Bury St. Edmunds comprises 16 wards of the District of Mid Suffolk and 14 wards of the Borough of St. Edmundsbury.

Community Safety

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to consult older people on issues of community safety.

Hazel Blears: Within the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, local authorities are required to work with the police to conduct a review of levels and patterns of crime and disorder. They are then required to consult widely with key agencies, community groups, charities (such as Help the Aged and Age Concern) and the community about these findings. Each of the 376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships across England and Wales conduct resident surveys on a variety of issues to find out what people's concerns are, and then act on them as necessary. The survey covers a whole spectrum of residents from young people to older people.
	In addition, the Fear of Crime Team within the Home Office have presented to, and facilitated, workshops at the Help the Aged National and Regional Senior Safety Conferences, developed and published a vulnerability strategy which identifies and addresses fear of crime issues among older people, and developed Fear of Crime reassurance cards, which challenge misperceptions about local crime issues. These cards are being disseminated to older people by Help the Aged handyvan fitters and neighbourhood wardens.

Community Sentences

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reporting procedures are for the performance of prison alternatives.

Paul Goggins: The National Probation Service (NPS) will shortly publish its annual report for 2003–04. In addition, each of the 42 operational areas of the NPS is required to produce its own annual report by the end of October.
	The National Probation Directorate produces a quarterly Performance Report, which sets out the extent to which local probation areas are performing against targets and how the key strategic objectives are being delivered. The reports are available on the NPS website (www.probation.homeoffice.gov.uk/output/page34.asp).
	The Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate publishes Probation Statistics for England and Wales on an annual basis. This presents statistics and trends relating to the work of the service, including the number of offenders under different types of supervision, the number of reports produced and staff in post. The most recent edition, published in January 2004, covers the year 2002 and is available on the Home Office website (www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/probation1.html). The web address also provides access to a number of Home Office Research Studies on themes relevant to the work of the NFS.

Community Sentences

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what plans the Government have to publicise successful outcomes of community sentencing;
	(2)  what plans he has to use the media to communicate information on community sentencing to the public;
	(3)  what measures (a) are in place and (b) he will introduce to demonstrate to the public that community sentences are serious penalties for offenders.

Paul Goggins: There is in place a communication strategy to improve public knowledge, understanding of, and confidence in, community sentences.
	The Home Office and local Probation Areas are also working to increase the public's understanding and knowledge of the range of community sentences available to the courts. The aim is to demonstrate that community punishment can be tough and demanding, making sure that offenders put something back into the community. A national visibility scheme for community. The reparation marque 'Making Amends' identifies locations that have benefited from community work.
	We will also promote public awareness of the new community sentences created by the Criminal Justice Act 2003, including Custody Minus and the new generic community sentence, as they come on stream next year.

Contingency Planning

Kali Mountford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on emergency planning arrangements in the UK.

David Blunkett: holding answer 20 July 2004
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Hamilton, South (Mr. Tynan) on 27 July 2004, Official Report, column 844W.

Crime (Great Yarmouth)

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment has been made of the level of fear of crime among the people of Great Yarmouth.

Hazel Blears: A Citizens' Panel is currently being conducted across Norfolk which includes questions about crime, the fear of crime and antisocial behaviour. The results will be broken down to district council level and will be published in December this year on the Norfolk Citizen Panel website, the address is: www.norfolk.gov.uk/citizenspanel/content/panellist results.asp.

Departmental Expenditure/Staff

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) capital and (b) running costs of mobile phones in his Department were in each year since 2001.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 20 July 2004
	The accounting policy of the Home Office is to only capitalise assets whose cost is greater than £5,000. Mobile phones purchased as part of a contract are treated as a revenue expense.
	The running costs for each year since 2001 are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2001 890,715.68 
			 2002 1,260,983.99 
			 2003 1,282,909.33

Departmental Expenditure/Staff

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent staff there have been in (a) his Department and (b) agencies of the Department in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: The following table provides a reply to the question based on the civil service statistics staff levels since 1996.
	These are full-time equivalent figures, based on civil service statistics, 1997 onwards available from the available civil service statistics. All figures are as at April.
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Central Home Office and IND (excluding  agencies) 9,358 8,037 7,711 9,270 13,020 13,550 16,540 
			 Fire Service College 215 253 188 180 190 — — 
			 Forensic Science Service 1,185 1,238 1,638 1,780 2,190 2,420 2,660 
			 United Kingdom Passport Agency 1,407 1,276 1,245 1,320 2,270 2,770 2,600 
			 Prison Service 37,704 39,363 38,719 40,560 41,940 41,780 43,210 
			 Home Office Total 49,869 50,167 49,501 53,110 59,610 60,520 65,010 
		
	
	In accordance with the policy objectives of the spending review and strategic plan commitments to staff cuts, we are streamlining departmental Head-Quarters (HQ) and reducing staff numbers by 30 per cent. in order to focus resources on the front-line. We are committed to similar reductions in the HQ of Corrections and the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. Reducing our HQ staff numbers by 2,700 full-time equivalents will free up around £100 million in real terms to be spent on the front-line.

Designated Accommodation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many rooms are set aside for (a) the use of smokers, (b) worship, broken down by religion and (c) nursing mothers and pregnant women in each building and sets of offices for which his Department is responsible.

Fiona Mactaggart: In the Departments seven main central London buildings there is (a) one smoking room in each building, (b) one building with a multi-faith room and one building with a Muslim prayer room, and (c) a designated room for nursing mothers and pregnant women in three of the buildings. This information is not held centrally for the remainder of the Home Office Estate.

English Language Training (Leeds)

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what English language training is available to (a) adult refugees and (b) adult asylum seekers in Leeds.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	These are matters for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to my hon. Friend with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Essex Police

Ivan Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change in funding Essex Police Authority has received in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The information is set out in the table.
	
		
			  General government grants(3) Annual percentage change in general government grants Specific grants and capital provision(4) Total Annual percentage change in all government grants 
			  £ million Percentage £ million £ million Percentage 
		
		
			 1997–98 129.7  6.7 136.4  
			 1998–99 131.5 1.4 2.1 133.6 -2.0 
			 1999–2000 134.8 2.5 3.1 137.9 3.2 
			 2000–01 143.8 6.7 4.3 148.1 7.4 
			 2001–02(5) 151.9 5.6 7.9 159.8 7.9 
			 2001–02(5) 147.9 — 7.9 155.8 — 
			 2002–03 151.3 2.3 16.0 167.3 7.4 
			 2003–04 155.9 3.0 17.7 173.6 3.7 
			 2004–05 160.9 3.3 16.7 177.6 2.4 
		
	
	(3) General government grants comprise Home Office principal police grant, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Revenue Support Grant and National Non Domestic Rates. Figures include £2.0 million in 1999–2000, £1.25 million in 2000–01 and £14,000 in 2001–02 for the transitional costs associated with changes in boundaries of the Metropolitan Police District from April 2000.
	(4) Includes funding from the Crime Fighting Fund, Rural Policing Fund, South East Allowance Payments, Basic Command Unit funding, Community Support Officer funding, Special Priority Payments, DMA Expansion Programme, Capital grant (including Supplementary Credit Approvals), Airwave (£4.6 million in 2002–03, £2.3 million in 2003–04 and £0.4 million this year) and the Premises Improvement Fund. Specific grants in 2004–05 are an estimate.
	(5) Figures for 2001–02 are not directly comparable with 2002–03 due to the change in funding arrangements for National Crime Squad/National Criminal Intelligence Service. Adjusted figures for 2001–02 are therefore included.

Female Prisoners (Substance Misuse)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of female prisoners have a substance misuse problem; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The Prison Service relies on the findings of epidemiological studies to determine drug treatment need in female establishments. A survey carried out in 2001 1 showed that up to 60 per cent. of female prisoners had a drug problem. The same survey also suggested that over 33 per cent. of women in prison had patterns of hazardous drinking.
	1 Borrill, J., Maden, A., Martin, A., Weaver, T., Stimson, G., Farrell, M. and Barnes, T. Differential substance misuse treatment needs of women, ethnic minorities and young offenders in prison: prevalence of substance misuse and treatment needs. Online report 33/03, Home Office.

Harassment

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provisions are available for the psychiatric assessment of persons (a) under a stage one warning for harassment and (b) convicted of harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
	As set out in the national service framework for mental health, any service user who contacts their primary health care team with a common mental health problem should have their mental health needs identified and assessed.
	Anyone sent to prison is screened on first reception to identify any health-related, including psychiatric, problems that need prompt attention or more thorough investigation.

Home Detention Curfews

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been released on the home detention curfew scheme.

Paul Goggins: Information reported to the Home Office shows that there were 95,810 prisoners released on the Home Detention Curfew Scheme between January 1999 and 30 June 2004.

Job Losses (Civil Servants)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the reductions in the numbers of civil servants in his Department announced in the comprehensive spending review will be of special advisors.

Fiona Mactaggart: Special Advisers are appointed by Ministers, with the approval of the Prime Minister, in accordance with Article 3(2) of the Civil Service Order in Council 1995 (as amended).
	The 2004 spending review published planned reductions in Home Office posts of 2,700 by 2008. The Home Office will report progress through its departmental report and on its website.

Litigation Costs

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to public funds was of the A v. West Yorkshire Police case.

Hazel Blears: I understand from the chief constable of West Yorkshire Police that costs incurred by the force totalled £90,000, including costs for 'A', the cost of hearings and taking the matter to the House of Lords. Expenditure incurred by Treasury solicitors in this case totalled £66,638, including disbursements such as counsels' fees.

Paedophiles

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people convicted of paedophile offences have had restrictions imposed on their ownership of credit and debit cards as part of their punishment;
	(2)  what provisions exist for limiting the use or issue of credit and debit cards to convicted paedophiles.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 20 July 2004
	The Sexual Offences Act 2003 introduced a new civil preventative order; the sexual offences prevention order (SOPO). A court may make a SOPO against someone with a conviction or caution for a relevant sexual offence (those listed in schedules 3 or 5 to the Act) where it is satisfied that such an order is necessary to protect the public or any particular member of the public from serious sexual harm from the defendant. A SOPO prohibits the offender from doing anything described in the order. This means protecting the public from serious physical or psychological harm caused by the defendant committing one or more of the offences listed in schedule 3.
	It is possible that a court could make a SOPO that would limit the use of credit or debit cards by the offender, if it was thought that limiting this use would protect the public from serious sexual harm. For example, a SOPO could prohibit an offender from making online purchases. Such a restriction would have to be compatible with a defendant's rights under Article 8 of the Convention.
	Statistics on the forms of prohibitions contained in SOPOs are not held by the Home Office.
	In addition, the Home Office has been working closely with the Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS), who have a clear policy that acquiring banks routinely monitor the transaction activity of their internet merchants, and that they will not knowingly do business with sites that sell content inciting, advocating or perpetuating violence against persons, including scenes of sexual assault. APACS have also been developing a range of work with the Internet Watch Foundation to assist in tracking and identifying illegal sites.

PFI/PPP Contracts

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many contracts have been let by his Department in each financial year since 2001–02 to (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte and Touche, (c) KPMG and (d) Ernst and Young for advising his Department on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts; and what fees were paid in each case.

Fiona Mactaggart: From the best information available, the number of contracts let with these suppliers, and the fees paid, are as follows:
	
		Fees £000
		
			 Supplier/Project 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers
			 2 Marsham Street(6) 757 183 9 
			 Criminal Records Bureau(7) 0 0 163 
			 Passports(8) 0 0 63 
			 Deloitte and Touche
			 Secure Training Centres 0 252 153 
			 HM Prisons Bronzefield  and Peterborough(9) 0 0 18 
			 KPMG
			 Criminal Records Bureau 0 25 0 
			 Ernst and Young
			 n/a — — — 
		
	
	(6) 2 Marsham Street—financial advice prior to contract close and arrangements to launch a variation bond
	(7) Criminal Records Bureau—PricewaterhouseCoopers provided internal audit services, and KPMG provided financial advice and support
	(8) Passports—Scoping Study for Development of Sampling Strategy (Fraudulent Passports). Note: This is the contract value.
	(9) HM Prisons—advice on accounting treatment of Bronzefield and Peterborough
	The use of external consultants helps the Department to successfully deliver projects across the office, particularly where the in-house resources are insufficient in number, or do not possess the specialised skills and expertise required.
	The Department also benefits from strategic business advice and the transfer of skills and knowledge to staff.

Police (Northampton)

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage change there has been in the number of police officers in Northampton in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: Information on strength at Basic Command Unit (BCU) level is collected annually and reflects the position at the end of March. Information on BCU strength is only available from 2002. BCU strength for 31 March 2004 will be published shortly.
	The Northampton Area Basic Command Unit (BCU) includes Collingtree, Great Houghton, Hardingstone, Northampton and Wootton. Between March 2002 and March 2003 police strength for the Northampton BCU decreased by 0.3 per cent. (from 346 to 345). The deployment of officers to BCUs is a matter for the chief constable (Peter Maddison) and within the Northampton BCU deployment of officers is a matter for the divisional commander.

Police Officers (Restricted Duties)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours were worked per week, on average, by police officers working on restricted or recuperative duties in (a) England and (b) Essex in the last year for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office does not publish data on restricted or recuperative duties for police officers in England and Wales.

Police Officers (Restricted Duties)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers are (a) working on restricted recuperative duties, (b) unable to work night duty and (c) absent through sickness in (i) England and (ii) Essex.

Hazel Blears: For the period 2002–03 a total of 1,364,067 officer days were lost to sickness absence—an average of 10.4 days per officer per year. For the same period, Essex constabulary lost 31,785 officer days to sickness absence—an average of 10.3 days per officer per year. This represents a fall in sickness absence from 1996–97 where the national rate was 12.8 days per officer per year—a reduction of over 18 per cent.
	These figures were published in the annual Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary report for 2002–03.
	The Home Office does not publish data on the number of police officers working on restricted or recuperative duties or who are unable to work on night duty.

Policies (Environmental Impacts)

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new policy proposals or significant changes in policy were produced in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04; how many of these were screened for their environmental impacts; and how many were the subject of separate environmental appraisals.

Fiona Mactaggart: Central records are not kept of the number of policies for which environmental screenings are undertaken. However, advice on the need to screen policies for environmental impacts is contained on the Department's policy makers checklist and the ministerial website on the Department's intranet site states that policy submissions should contain a section on environmental considerations.
	No formal environmental appraisals have been conducted on policy issues, although policy proposals which are likely to have a direct or indirect impact on business, charities and the voluntary sector are required to have a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA). RIAs require examination of the potential impacts of relevant policy developments on all stakeholders including environmental impacts.
	Assessments of environmental impacts are undertaken on building developments as required by planning authorities.

Prison

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget is for each prison library in 2004–05; and how many local authority-employed librarians work in prison establishments on a (a) full-time and (b) part-time basis.

Des Browne: The following table shows allocations to each prison establishment to purchase library services. The figures include maintenance of the book stock, exchange of stock within a year and off-site administration of the service.
	Information on the number of local authority-employed librarians working in prison establishments is not held centrally. A survey conducted in February 2004 found that Public Library Authority (PLA) library managers delivered 2,608 on-site hours per week while PLA library assistants delivered 2,230 per week. This equates to 134 full-time equivalent library staff across the prison estate.
	The Prison Service is currently working in partnership with the Public Library Authorities to develop a new and wider ranging specification for prison libraries that addresses the learning and skills agenda as well as providing information, advice and guidance. A new framework for resourcing the new service is also being developed.
	
		Library budgets 2004–05
		
			 Establishment £ 
		
		
			 Acklington 39,088 
			 Albany 31,842 
			 Ashwell 17,906 
			 Askham Grange 7,302 
			 Aylesbury 15,875 
			 Bedford 22,013 
			 Belmarsh 62,491 
			 Birmingham 72,523 
			 Blakenhurst 36,716 
			 Blantyre House 12,364 
			 Blundeston 20,563 
			 Brinsford 19,730 
			 Brinsford YJB 16,885 
			 Bristol 21,117 
			 Brixton 58,634 
			 Brockhill 15,176 
			 Buckley Hall 18,618 
			 Bullingdon 42,588 
			 Bullwood Hall 5,430 
			 Bullwood Hall YJB 361 
			 Camphill 38,845 
			 Canterbury 19,123 
			 Cardiff 16,089 
			 Castington 17,648 
			 Castington YJB 12,532 
			 Channings Wood 28,399 
			 Chelmsford 19,815 
			 Coldingley 11,850 
			 Cookham Wood 8,427 
			 Dartmoor 24,469 
			 Deerbolt 15,887 
			 Dorchester 17,768 
			 Dover 12,758 
			 Downview 25,126 
			 Drake Hall 13,385 
			 Durham 22,940 
			 East Sutton Park 6,217 
			 Eastwood Park 19,951 
			 Eastwood Park YJB 529 
			 Edmunds Hill 813 
			 Elmley 49,666 
			 Erlestoke 14,054 
			 Everthorpe 32,959 
			 Exeter 10,585 
			 Featherstone 15,797 
			 Feltham 30,869 
			 Feltham YJB 8,548 
			 Ford 33,591 
			 Foston Hall 23,830 
			 Frankland 24,602 
			 Full Sutton 28,606 
			 Garth 37,723 
			 Gartree 15,435 
			 Glen Parva 20,273 
			 Gloucester 20,062 
			 Grendon/Spring Hill 16,020 
			 Guys Marsh 17,549 
			 Haslar 19,597 
			 Haverigg 28,022 
			 Hewell Grange 11,743 
			 High Down 27,457 
			 Highpoint 29,345 
			 Hindley 11,233 
			 Hindley 10,292 
			 Hollesley Bay 5,078 
			 Holloway 56,463 
			 Holme House 55,948 
			 Hull 60,309 
			 Huntercombe 16,506 
			 Kingston 14,072 
			 Kirkham 25,645 
			 Kirklevington 9,102 
			 Lancaster Castle 5,803 
			 Lancaster Farms 32,355 
			 Lancaster Farms 8,499 
			 Latchmere House 2,240 
			 Leeds 36,278 
			 Leicester 17,409 
			 Lewes 30,049 
			 Leyhill 15,602 
			 Lincoln 20,726 
			 Lindholme 24,872 
			 Littlehey 22,854 
			 Liverpool 30,591 
			 Long Lartin 21,305 
			 Low Newton 18,454 
			 Maidstone 19,209 
			 Manchester 158,515 
			 Moorland 43,833 
			 Morton Hall 36,364 
			 New Hall 158,442 
			 New Hall YJB 3,259 
			 North Sea Camp 11,978 
			 Northallerton 34,756 
			 Norwich 40,987 
			 Nottingham 34,053 
			 Onley 51,758 
			 Parkhurst 32,056 
			 Pentonville 37,094 
			 Portland 16,637 
			 Preston 17,985 
			 Ranby 47,480 
			 Reading 21,975 
			 Risley 15,140 
			 Rochester 27,904 
			 Send 14,283 
			 Shepton Mallet 5,615 
			 Shrewsbury 12,474 
			 Stafford 14,367 
			 Standford Hill 20,700 
			 Stocken 22,741 
			 Stoke Heath 10,306 
			 Stoke Heath 9,274 
			 Styal 11,305 
			 Sudbury 25,933 
			 Swaleside 35,296 
			 Swansea 17,474 
			 Swinfen Hall 33,953 
			 The Mount 38,786 
			 The Verne 14,944 
			 Thorn Cross 8,387 
			 Thorn Cross YJB 3,009 
			 Usk/Prescoed 16,745 
			 Wakefield 23,789 
			 Wandsworth 124,646 
			 Warren Hill YJB 22,254 
			 Wayland 25,885 
			 Wealstun 35,478 
			 Weare 17,597 
			 Wellingborough 28,321 
			 Werrington YJB 9,498 
			 Wetherby YJB 32,241 
			 Whatton 21,085 
			 Whitemoor 25,972 
			 Winchester 29,418 
			 Woodhill 36,932 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 43,773 
			 Wymott 34,154

Prison

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the 10-year custodial population projections referred to in paragraphs D18 and D19 of the Home Office Online Report 38/04.

Paul Goggins: Long-term prison population projections are produced for a seven year period. The latest published projections cover the period up to 2009. These were first presented in the April 2003 prison population monthly brief, published in September 2003, which can be found on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/prisons1 .html

Prison

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what review of the policy towards (a) prison workplace and (b) prisoner smoking is planned; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 22 July 2004
	No departmental review of smoking in prison workplaces (where this is permitted) and prisoner smoking is planned. Governors are still operating under Instruction to Governors 16 of 1996, which instructs them where to ban smoking in prisons and gives them discretionary powers to extend this ban to other parts of the prison. Smoking policies are included in the Health and Safety Standard and are audited by the Prison Service Standards Audit Unit.
	In 2003 the Department of Health and the Prison service published 'AQUITTED: Best practice guidance for developing smoking cessation services in prisons'. Extra funding of £500,000 has been made available for each of the three years up to 2006. The launch of 'AQUITTED' was supported by a programme of training seminars for staff of prisons and their local Primary Care Trusts. The effectiveness of the initiative is being evaluated and a report is expected in 2005.

Prison

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated cost was of the new healthcare centre at HMP Holloway in the Department's budget on 1 January; what the latest estimate is of expenditure on the new centre; and how many (a) inpatient beds and (b) day centre places (i) were planned on 1 January and (ii) are planned for the new centre.

Paul Goggins: On 1 January 2003, the estimated capital cost of the new healthcare centre at Holloway prison was £5.85 million with 23 in-patient beds and 30 day centre places planned. The latest estimates for costs, in patient beds, and day centre places remain the same.

Prison

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) prisoners, (b) women in prison, (c) juveniles and (d) young offenders are held (i) over 50 miles and (ii) over 100 miles from their committal court town.

Paul Goggins: An individual prisoner's court details are recorded to show first court appearance, committal, remand, conviction or sentencing. Information specifically on committal court details could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. As at 7 July 2004, the latest date for which information is available, details were available for 70,213 prisoners, or 93 per cent. of the total prison population of 74,771, on that day. This information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Distance Total population Female population Juvenile population Young offender population 
		
		
			 Under 50 miles 
			 Total number of prisoners 45,632 2,151 1,639 5,184 
			 Percentage 65 52 63 65 
			  
			 50–100 miles 
			 Total number of prisoners 14,990 1,039 814 1,828 
			 Percentage 21 25 31 23 
			  
			 100+ miles 
			 Total number of prisoners 9,591 930 167 944 
			 Percentage 14 23 6 12 
			 Total 70,213 4,120 2,620 7,956

Public Services Funding

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will identify for (a) his Department and (b) the agencies and task forces for which it is responsible each funding stream for public services in (i) the Isle of Thanet and (ii) Canterbury City local authority area.

Fiona Mactaggart: Home Office funding streams for the Kent area consist of the following:
	General Police Grant
	Capital Grant
	Crime Fighting Fund
	Rural Policing Fund
	DNA Expansion Programme
	Airwave
	Basic Command Unit Fund
	Community Support Officers
	Special Priority Payments
	South East Allowance
	Building Safer Communities to CDRP partnership
	Antisocial behaviour funding to CDRP partnership
	Home Office Connecting Communities Project
	Home Office Time Limited Development Fund
	We do not hold information by local authority area, within each county.
	Following the spending review, my right hon. Friends the Home Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister have announced a new Safer and Stronger Communities Fund (White Paper "Confident Communities in a Secure Britain", published on 19 July 2004) which will bring together a number of funding streams for community safety and improving public spaces.
	Alongside the intention to bring together a number of funding streams, the Home Office strategic plan intends to further promote local audits of priorities for community safety and the resources used to prevent and respond to crime and other issues. In particular, an assessment of resources and needs will be a feature of new local area agreements covering community safety, in areas in which these agreements will be developed. The Home Office is looking to build on the existing work of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships and Drug Action Teams who audit crime and drugs issues in local areas.
	For reference, these are outlined on page 36 of the strategic plan.

Sellafield

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the off-site emergency plans, including evacuation plans, in place in West Cumbria for circumstances involving an accident or other incident resulting in a significant release of radioactivity from Sellafield.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	There are well tried and tested emergency plans to deal with a release of radioactive material from Sellafield's nuclear facilities. These plans are maintained under the licence condition arrangements for all such sites and have been reviewed and tested at regular intervals over many years. The off-site emergency plan, prepared by Cumbria county council in consultation with the emergency services and British Nuclear Group, has been published in accordance with the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001. The plan covers procedures, facilities and equipment, and includes evacuation arrangements. REPPIR is monitored and enforced by the Health and Safety Executive.
	There is an ongoing programme of regular off-site exercises for civil nuclear installations such as Sellafield. These test the local off-site facility for each site, and involve a wide range of local and national agencies. The last such exercise at Sellafield was held on 24 September 2003 and this tested all aspects of Cumbria county council's off-site emergency plan which clearly covers evacuation aspects. The lessons of off-site nuclear exercises are taken forward locally through a standing local Emergency Planning Consultative Committee. Any issues of national relevance are taken forward through the Nuclear Emergency Planning Liaison Group, which is administered and chaired by DTI, and are fed as appropriate into central Government's contingency planning.

Travel Costs

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the travel costs were of civil servants in (a) his Department and (b) its related agencies in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information is set out in the following table:
	
		Travel costs -- £
		
			  UK Overseas Total 
		
		
			 1997
			 Department 3,898,126.65 1,224,570.48 5,122,697.13 
			 Agencies 7,620,389.45 42,316.98 7,662706.43 
			 Total 11,518516.10 1,266,887.46 12,785403.56 
			 
			 1998
			 Department 3,270,766.30 886,831.19 4,157,597.49 
			 Agencies 8,290,722.40 50,802.42 8,341,524.82 
			 Total 11,561,488.70 937,633.61 12,499,122.31 
			 
			 1999
			 Department 3,187,174.89 1,441,260.08 4,628,434.97 
			 Agencies 8,294,957.22 81,651.74 8,376,608.96 
			 Total 11,482,132.11 1,522,911.82 13,005,043.93 
			 2000
			 Department 4,245,879.25 1,396,593.81 5,642,473.06 
			 Agencies 9,133,124.06 63,087.76 9,196,211.82 
			 Total 13,379,003.31 1,459,681.57 14,838,684.88 
			 
			 2001
			 Department 6,348,417.71 2,077,311.00 8,425,728.71 
			 Agencies 9,774,147.78 18,987.40 9,793,135.18 
			 Total 16,122,565.49 2,096,298.40 18,218,863.89 
			 
			 2002
			 Department 8,732,248.97 2,355,805.87 11,088,054.84 
			 Agencies 10,467,841.11 36,290.14 10,504,131.25 
			 Total 19,200,090.08 2,392,096.01 21,592,186.09 
			 
			 2003
			 Department 12,406,053.11 4,449,971.03 16,856,024.14 
			 Agencies 10,780,887.32 9,053.09 10,789,940.41 
			 Total 23,186,940.43 4,459,024.12 27,645,964.55 
		
	
	The marked increases in travel costs since 2001 can be largely attributed to changes in strategy within the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) where increased staff numbers and the need to travel as a result of new policy initiatives and targets for improved IND performance. Other contributing factors have been related to providing advice to the organisers of the 2002 Football World Cup in Japan and Euro 2004 in Portugal and the creation of new units to support the police reform agenda.
	Criminal Records Bureau only commenced operations in 2000.
	Employees of the National Probation Service are not civil servants and their costs have therefore not been included in the above.

Under-age Drinking

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will issue guidance to police forces that parents should, where possible, be informed when alcohol is removed from their children under the under-age drinking legislation; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will investigate the impact of requiring the police to inform schools or colleges when alcohol is removed from pupils under the under-age drinking legislation; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will issue guidance to the police that police schools liaison officers should be made aware of which pupils have had alcohol removed from them by the police under the under-age drinking legislation; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: There is no specific requirement for police forces to inform parents, schools or an education institute when alcohol is removed from children or pupils under the under-age drinking legislation. A decision to inform parents or an education institute is an operational matter for individual police forces. However, a child who commits an offence and is reported for the offence can be seen in the presence of his or her parent or a responsible adult.
	Police forces would have their own arrangements for involving Social Services or an education institute if the child might be at risk. The role of the police school liaison officers in schools is a matter for the individual police force and the school.
	There is a statutory requirement to educate children and young people about the effect of alcohol. All schools are encouraged to have systems in place to identify and support those young people for whom drugs (including alcohol) may be a problem. Where concerns have been raised schools can provide support either through the curriculum, pastoral system or through referral to more specialised agencies, perhaps co-ordinated through the Connexions Service.

Under-age Drinking

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people were (a) cautioned and (b) found guilty of selling intoxicating liquor to a person aged under 18 in 2003;
	(2)  how many people were (a) cautioned and (b) found guilty under section 169 (2) of the Licensing Act 1964 in 2003.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 16 July 2004
	Figures for England and Wales 2002 show that 59 people were cautioned and 103 found guilty for "selling etc, intoxicating liquor to persons under 18 for consumption on the premises" (Licensing Act 1964, S169(1); Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983, schedule (section 3) para. 4(1).) and a further two cautioned for "wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18" (Licensing Act 1964, section 181A as added by Licensing Act 1988, section 17). Those cautioned and found guilty under section 169(2) of the Licensing Act 1964 in 2002 were nine and 18 respectively.
	Statistics on court proceedings for 2003 will be published in the autumn.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Katharine Gun

Lynne Jones: To ask the Solicitor-General what the costs have been to date to the Government of the prosecution of the Katharine Gun case.

Harriet Harman: I can only provide details of the costs incurred to the Crown Prosecution Service for whom the Attorney-General and I have ministerial responsibility. The Crown Prosecution Service estimates that the prosecution costs in this case to date are in the region of £18,552. This figure comprises of counsel's fees. The CPS is unable routinely to assess and attribute its own overhead costs to individual cases.

Butler Report

Llew Smith: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will place in the Library copies of (a) the account given to the Butler Committee on the Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction of the legal advice provided to the Butler Committee, to which reference is made at paragraph 379 of the Butler Report and (b) the letter from the Prime Minister's Private Secretary to the Legal Secretary to the Law Officers, dated 15 March 2003, to which reference is made at paragraph 384 of the Butler Report.

Harriet Harman: The account given by the Attorney-General to the Butler Committee of his legal advice was given in oral evidence to the Committee. As is clear from footnote 17 to the Butler Report, the account of the Attorney-General's advice was given in confidence without intending to waive the legal professional privilege to which the advice is subject. The substance of the letter from the Prime Minister's Private Secretary to the Legal Secretary to the Law Officers, dated 15 March 2003 is set out at paragraph 384 of the Butler Report.

Crown Prosecution Service

Mark Fisher: To ask the Solicitor-General how many prosecutions for alleged child abuse were brought by the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many resulted in a conviction.

Harriet Harman: The following tables show aggregated information about child abuse cases that were finalised on the new Compass system during the year ending March 2004. No information is held for earlier periods, and could be obtained only through an analysis of individual case files at disproportionate cost.
	Table 1 shows the number of child abuse cases in magistrates courts, broken down into unsuccessful outcomes and convictions. Unsuccessful outcomes comprise: cases discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service; cases written off because the defendant could not be traced by the police, had died or been found unfit to plead; cases discharged in the course of committal proceedings; cases dismissed because of no case to answer; and dismissals after full trial. Convictions are divided into guilty pleas and convictions after trial.
	Table 2 shows the number of finalised child abuse cases recorded at the crown court. Unsuccessful outcomes in the crown court comprise: cases dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service before a jury was sworn, in which the judge ordered a formal acquittal; cases written off because the defendant could not be traced by the police, had died or been found unfit to plead; judge directed acquittals; and acquittals after trial. Convictions are divided into guilty pleas and convictions after full trial.
	It should be noted that these figures are not collected from a specific list of offences. The identification of prosecution cases as child abuse is made by a member of CPS staff when a case is received from police, or within a subsequent review. Police officers and Administrators may also bring a child abuse case to CPS attention within the initial file submission.
	
		Outcome of child abuse cases in magistrates courts 2003–04
		
			  Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Discontinued 366 28.3 
			 Written off 14 1.1 
			 Discharged committals 21 1.6 
			 Dismissed no case to answer 13 1.0 
			 Dismissed after trial 53 4.1 
			 Unsuccessful outcomes 467 36.1 
			 Guilty Pleas 694 53.7 
			 Convicted after trial 132 10.2 
			 Convictions 826 63.9 
			 Total 1,293 — 
		
	
	
		Outcome of child abuse cases in the Crown court 2003–04
		
			  Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Judge ordered acquittals 145 16.5 
			 Written off 6 0.7 
			 Judge directed acquittals 25 2.8 
			 Jury acquittals 111 12.6 
			 Unsuccessful outcomes 287 32.6 
			 Guilty pleas 446 50.7 
			 Convicted after trial 147 16.7 
			 Convictions 593 67.4 
			 Total 880 —

Crown Prosecution Service

Tom Cox: To ask the Solicitor-General on how many occasions in each of the last three years the Crown Prosecution Service has not proceeded with a prosecution of an assault committed (a) on a police officer and (b) by an inmate on a prison officer on the grounds that prosecution would not be in the public interest.

Harriet Harman: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) central records do not include the level of detail required to answer the present question. Information at this level of detail could be obtained only by examining individual case files in each CPS office, which would incur disproportionate cost (Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, part 2, clause 9).

David McGee

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Solicitor-General what the cost to public funds was of the prosecution of Mr. David McGee; at what level in the Crown Prosecution Service the decision on what charges to proceed with was taken; and what other potential charges were considered.

Harriet Harman: The Crown Prosecution Service estimates that the prosecution costs in this case to date are in the region of £6,250. This figure comprises counsels' fees and witness expenses. The CPS is unable routinely to assess and attribute its own overhead costs to individual cases.
	The decision to prosecute was made by a level E special casework lawyer within the Crown Prosecution Service, following advice from leading counsel.
	The other potential charges considered were under section 4 of the Official Secrets Act 1989; section 3 of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981; section 16 of the Theft Act 1968; and the common law offence of misfeasance in a public office.

Elmley Prison Officers (Case Costs)

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Solicitor-General what the (a) legal costs of the defendants' two trials and (b) total cost to the Crown Prosecution Service were in the case against Prison Officers Rowland, Kerry and Watkins at Elmley Prison.

Harriet Harman: I can only provide details of the costs incurred by the Crown Prosecution Service, for which both the Attorney and I have ministerial responsibility.
	The Crown Prosecution Service costs are approximately £146,878.04. However, this figure may be reduced as the Crown Prosecution Service is currently seeking a reduction in the amount of counsel's fees claimed.
	The prosecution's costs are broken down in the following table:
	
		
			  Prosecution's costs (£) 
		
		
			 (a) Counsel's fees:  
			 at the magistrates' court to include the old style committal 12,978.35 
			 for the preliminary hearing in 2001 27,766.19 
			 the final invoice (being challenged) to include re-instituting proceedings and the trial 96,033.50 
			 Total 136,778.04 
			   
			 (b) Experts' fees: 1,100.00 
			   
			 (c) charges for enhancement of the recordings of intercepted telephone calls and for their compilation and indexation on a compact disc: 9,000.00 
		
	
	The CPS is unable routinely to assess and attribute its own overhead costs to individual cases.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will place in the Library copies of the intelligence assessment briefings on Iraq of September 2002 and February 2003, to which reference is made in paragraph 367 of the Butler Committee Report on intelligence on weapons of mass destruction, HC898.

Harriet Harman: The intelligence briefings of September 2002 and February 2003 referred to in paragraph 367 of the Review of intelligence on weapons of mass destructions were oral briefings given to the Attorney-General by the Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee.

Serious Fraud Office (Bribery)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Solicitor-General from which (a) companies and (b) organisations the Serious Fraud Office have requested (i) co-operation and (ii) information with regard to investigations relating to the enforcement of anti-bribery legislation since 2000.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 15 June 2004
	The information requested could be obtained only by examining individual case files in each dating back to 2000 and would incur disproportionate cost (Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, part 2, clause 9).

CABINET OFFICE

Counter-terrorism Grants

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how the Government calculates counter-terrorism grants to front-line responders, with particular reference to (a) police forces, (b) fire brigades and (c) ambulance services.

David Blunkett: I have been asked to reply.
	Of the emergency services, only the police carry out counter-terrorism work. Funding for police counter-terrorism and other national security functions is predominantly funded through mainstream funding mechanisms rather than direct grant. However since 2002–03 the Home Office has provided additional funding to the Police Service to enable it to respond to the increased threat posed by international terrorism since September 2001. In 2004–05 this will amount to £84 million. The allocation of this funding to individual forces is determined following full consultation between individual police forces, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Home Office.
	Funding for counter-terrorism has to be considered within the wider context of funding for national security in the round, which will rise from £980 million in 2001 to over £2.1 billion in 2007, including the doubling of the size of M15.
	In addition, an extra £20 million per year from 2005–06 will be allocated to the Civil Defence Grant. This will double to £40 million per year, the contribution the Government previously allocated to local authorities.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Tannery Arts Ltd.

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the compulsory purchase order placed on Tannery Arts Ltd.'s premises.

Charles Clarke: We are exploring the feasibility of establishing an academy on the site of the former Laburnum primary school following a proposal from the London borough of Hackney and the UBS Investment Bank. There is strong need for new school places in Hackney.
	Provision of a suitable site is a matter for Hackney council and they have begun a compulsory purchase order process on land next to the Laburnum school given the restricted nature of that site. This is entirely a matter for them.
	We are conscious of the concerns raised about the future of Tannery Arts and discussions are taking place. It would be premature to say anything more at this stage. However, the academy would play a key role in transforming educational opportunities and standards for young people in the area.

Adult Education (Great Yarmouth)

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what public funding has been spent on adult (a) literacy and (b) numeracy in Great Yarmouth in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: The estimated total spend on Skills For Life (the Government's strategy for literacy, language and numeracy needs of all post-16 learners from pre-entry level up to and including level 2) and on Key Skills (essential skills of communication, application of number and information technology), from April 2001 to July 2003, in the Norfolk Learning and Skills Council (LSC) area is set out in the following table:
	
		£000
		
			  April 2001 to July 2001(10) August 2001 to July 2002 August 2002 to July 2003 
		
		
			 Basic skills 874 2,145 2,936 
			 Key skills 358 524 1,022 
		
	
	(10) The figures for April to July 2001 include costs incurred from August 2000 on learning aims continuing into April 2001.
	From the information available to the LSC it has not been feasible to obtain estimates at constituency level or separate figures by subject without incurring disproportionate cost. Likewise it has not been feasible to obtain comparable figures for periods before April 2001 when the Skills for Life strategy was launched and the LSC was formed, but information shows it was considerably less than at present.

Advertising

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money was spent on advertising and promotional literature for his Department's initiatives, broken down by year since 1997.

David Miliband: The information is as follows.
	1. Expenditure details from the Department's central advertising and public budget, for advertising and promotional work is listed as follows:
	
		
			  Expenditure (£ million) 
		
		
			 1997–98 11.0 
			 1998–99 13.4 
			 1999–2000 9.9 
			 2000–01 14.6 
			 2001–02 11.7 
			 2002–03 14.1 
			 2003–04 15.5 
			 2004–05 expenditure (budgeted) 15.3 
		
	
	2. Financial information for any other advertising and promotional work from outside of the central marketing team could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Alderman Blaxill Secondary School, Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received about the closure of classrooms at Alderman Blaxill Secondary School, Colchester, following the discovery of asbestos; what action he is taking to ensure that the school has sufficient operational classrooms for the new school year; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: I am not aware of any representations having been received regarding the matter referred in the question other than your letter to the Secretary of State dated 21 July 2004. Essex LEA is working closely with the school to ensure that suitable accommodation is available to the Alderman Blaxill Secondary School for the new school year. The bulk of schools capital is now allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their local priorities, including accommodation issues. Prioritisation of need should be through an open, rigorous and consultative asset management process, based on assessments of the needs of all schools. This Government have increased their support for capital investment in schools from under £700 million in 1996–97 to £3.8 billion this year and this will increase further to over £5 billion by 2005–06.

Autism

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research he has commissioned regarding the school exclusion rates of (a) autistic students and (b) students with Asperger's Syndrome; and if he will make a statement on his policy on whether autistic students should remain in mainstream schools.

Margaret Hodge: The statistics published by the Department do not record the types of special educational need (SEN), such as autism and Asperger's syndrome, which excluded pupils with SEN have. The most recent provisional statistics, for 2002/03, do show that children with SEN, both those with and without statements of SEN, account for two-thirds of permanent exclusions and that children with SEN were nine times more likely to be permanently excluded than those without SEN. As part of the SEN strategy "Removing Barriers to Achievement", published in February, we are carrying out research into exclusions and children with SEN, including those with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs), and we will act on its findings.
	Research by the National Autistic Society in 2000 suggested that children with ASDs, including Asperger's syndrome, were far more likely to be excluded than their peers. The Society is represented on our Autism Working Group which produced Good Practice Guidance on ASDs in 2002. This guidance aims to raise awareness of the disorders and to give good practice pointers to schools, local education authorities and others to help develop and audit their autism provision. It is available to assist schools make the reasonable adjustments to their policies and practice with respect to children with ASDs required by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, as amended by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001, which they need to consider when meeting their duty not to discriminate against disabled pupils, without justification, by excluding them because of behaviour caused by their disability.
	Children with autism display a range of strengths and difficulties of differing levels of severity and complexity. Those with SEN statements should be placed in a setting where their profile of needs can be met. The Good Practice Guidance recommends that LEAs, either singly or in regional groupings, should develop a range of provision in mainstream, special and specialist schools so that children with statements can be placed appropriately with the placement being monitored and changed as necessary.

Child Care

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the Government's policy is on extending child care provision; and what plans the Government have to extend child care provision.

Margaret Hodge: Between 1997 and 2004 the Government aimed to create around 900,000 new child care places to help 1,600,000 children. By March 2004 some 1,000,000 new child care places had been created helping some 1,800,000 children. The Government have a target to create a further 250,000 new child care places for at least 450,000 children by March 2006 and to increase the stock of registered child care places across England by at least 10 per cent. by March 2008.

Child Care

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the Government's policy is on the promotion of the National Childcare Strategy; and what plans the Government has to extend the strategy.

Margaret Hodge: The National Childcare Strategy is promoted, as part of the Government's Sure Start programme, through a variety of channels and campaigns, targeting parents and those working with parents and children. These include: articles in the daily, local and specialist press; leaflets available in locations such as health centres, Job Centres and Post Offices, and sent to Sure Start programmes, health visitors, midwives and employment advisers; publications such as the "Choosing Childcare" booklet; and National Sure Start Month held each June. Children's Information Services (CISs) in each of the 150 local authorities provide detail and advice to parents on Childcare and other Sure Start programmes in their areas.
	The Government are continuing to expand and strengthen Childcare provision. Our PSA Target is 10 per cent. growth in the stock of registered places between 2004 and 2008. The Department for Education and Skills "Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners" (published on 8 July) makes clear that much of the future expansion will be provided on school premises, or in integrated children's centres, so child care becomes part of a web of personalised services, including good quality health and family support, that best suits families and their children. We will link the free early education entitlement for 3 and 4-year-olds more effectively with the hours of child care for which parents pay, to offer integrated education and care for a full day, while extended schools—both primary and secondary—will provide, or host, a wide range of services, including child care and a range of family learning and parental support, on-site.
	In addition, the Chancellor confirmed in his "Spending Review" 2004 statement that the Government will publish a plan in the pre-Budget report later this year outlining our vision of choice for parents and high quality provision for young children for the period up to 2015.

Child Care

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate the Government have made of the number of (a) child care places and (b) childminders that will be created by the Neighbourhood Nurseries initiative.

Margaret Hodge: The Neighbourhood Nursery Initiative will provide 45,000 integrated care and education places for children under the age of five living in the most disadvantaged areas of the country. Currently over 42,600 places are being delivered through 1,218 nurseries. We expect the 45,000 place target to be reached in the next few months.

Child Care

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate the Government has made of how many registered child care places there were in (i) St. Helens and (ii) the UK, broken down by region, in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many local authority nurseries there were in each year since 1997, (a) broken down by region and (b) in St. Helens;
	(3)  what estimate the Government has made of the number of nurseries which have closed in each year since 1997 (a) broken down by region and (b) in St. Helens.

Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested. The available information on the numbers of day nurseries or full day care facilities for St. Helens and the regions are shown in the following tables.
	With the introduction of the National Day Care Standards and the transfer of responsibilities for registration and inspection to Ofsted, child care providers are now classified according to whether they are full day care, sessional day care, childminder, out of school day care or crèche day care places. Previously, child care providers were classified according to whether they were day nurseries, playgroups and pre-schools, childminders, out of school clubs or holiday schemes. Therefore, figures for 2003 are not directly comparable with figures for earlier years because they are collected on a different basis.
	Statistics on the number of child care facilities registered in England were published on 22 July 2004 in a report by Ofsted "Registered Childcare Providers and Places in England, 30 June 2004". The report is available on the Ofsted website, www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications.
	
		Number of day nurseries1,2 in St. Helen local authority area and by Government Office Region: 1999–2001
		
			  Position at 31 March each year 
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 St. Helens (3)50 (3)20 (3)60 n/a 
			  
			 North East 190 190 220 n/a 
			  
			 North West and Merseysiden/a 
			 North West 840 910 940 n/a 
			 Merseyside 240 200 250 n/a 
			  
			 Yorkshire and Number 700 690 710 n/a 
			  
			 East Midlands 560 660 550 n/a 
			  
			 West Midlands 870 900 970 n/a 
			  
			 Eastern 570 610 600 n/a 
			  
			 Greater Londonn/a 
			 Inner London 610 650 680 n/a 
			 Outer London 550 600 620 n/a 
			  
			 South East 1,100 1,240 1,400 n/a 
			  
			 South West 770 900 910 n/a 
			  
			 England 7,000 7,500 7,800 n/a 
			 Of which: 
			 Local authority provided 400 400 460 n/a 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	(11) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate. Figures may not add to totals due to founding.
	(12) Data Source: Children's Day Care Facilities.
	(13) Figures as reported by the local authority.
	
		Number of full day care facilities in St. Helens local authority area and by Ofsted Region, position as at 31 December 2003
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 St. Helens 30 
			 East of England 1,000 
			 East Midlands 800 
			 London 1,600 
			 North East and Yorkshire 1,400 
			 North West England 1,400 
			 South East England 1,900 
			 South West England 1,200 
			 West Midlands 1,300 
			   
			 England 10,600 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.
	Source:
	Ofsted

Children's Information Services

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children's information services (a) have been opened and (b) are planned to be opened in (i) St Helens and (ii) England, broken down by region.

Margaret Hodge: Since the introduction of the National Childcare Strategy in 1998 each local authority in England has been required to have a Children's Information Service (CIS). However, in some cases bordering local authorities have provided a joint service. There are currently 146 CISs in England. St Helens has one CIS. The table below breaks down by region the local authorities in England that operate a CIS.
	Children's Information Services in England
	East Midlands
	Derby City
	Derbyshire
	Leicester City
	Leicestershire
	Lincolnshire
	Northamptonshire
	Nottingham City
	Nottinghamshire
	Rutland
	East of England
	Bedfordshire
	Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (two LAs)
	Essex
	Hertfordshire
	Luton
	Norfolk
	Southend on Sea
	Suffolk
	Thurrock
	North East
	North East
	Darlington
	Durham
	Gateshead
	Hartlepool
	Middlesbrough
	Newcastle
	North Tyneside
	Northumberland
	Redcar and Cleveland
	South Tyneside
	Stockton-on-Tees
	Sunderland
	North London
	Barking and Dagenham
	Barnet
	Brent
	Camden
	City of London
	Enfield
	Hackney
	Hammersmith and Fulham
	Haringey
	Harrow
	Havering
	Islington
	Kensington and Chelsea
	Newham
	Redbridge
	Tower Hamlets
	Waltham Forest
	Westminster
	South London
	Bexley
	Bromley
	Croydon
	Ealing
	Greenwich
	Hillingdon
	Hounslow
	Kingston upon Thames
	Lambeth
	Lewisham
	Merton
	Richmond upon Thames
	Southwark
	Sutton
	Wandsworth
	North West
	Blackburn with Darwen
	Blackpool
	Bolton
	Bury
	Cheshire
	Cumbria
	Halton
	Knowsley
	Lancashire
	Liverpool
	Manchester
	Oldham
	Rochdale
	Salford
	Sefton
	St. Helens
	Stockport
	Tameside
	Trafford
	Warrington
	Wigan
	Wirral
	South East
	Brighton and Hove
	Buckinghamshire
	East Sussex
	Hampshire
	Isle of Wight
	Kent
	Medway
	Milton Keynes
	Oxfordshire
	Portsmouth
	Reading, West Berkshire and Bracknell Forest CIS (3 LAs)
	Slough
	Southampton
	Surrey
	West Sussex
	Windsor and Maidenhead
	Wokingham
	South West
	Bath and NE Somerset
	Bournemouth
	Bristol
	Cornwall
	Devon and Torbay (two LAs)
	Dorset
	Gloucestershire
	Isles of Scilly
	North Somerset
	Plymouth
	Poole
	Somerset
	South Gloucestershire
	Swindon
	Wiltshire
	West Midlands
	Birmingham
	Coventry
	Dudley
	Herefordshire
	Sandwell
	Shropshire
	Solihull
	Staffordshire
	Stoke on Trent
	Telford & Wrekin
	Walsall
	Warwickshire
	Wolverhampton
	Worcestershire
	Yorkshire and Humberside
	Barnsley
	Bradford
	Calderdale
	Doncaster
	East Riding of Yorkshire
	Kingston upon Hull
	Kirklees
	Leeds
	North East Lincolnshire
	North Lincolnshire
	North Yorkshire
	Rotherham
	Sheffield
	Wakefield
	York

City Academies

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received about the effectiveness of city academies in tacking social deprivation.

David Miliband: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills receives many representations on a variety of issues. The academies programme is specifically designed to address the intractable problems of poor standards of teaching and learning, under-achievement and low aspirations in the most socially and economically deprived parts of the country.
	It will take time for the new leadership, buildings and curriculum to turn things round. However, of the three academies with GCSE results in 2003 the number of 5A*–C grades rose to 21 per cent. and 35 per cent. respectively from 7 per cent. and 25 per cent. in 2002, and the other had results broadly comparable with its predecessor schools. Academies are also improving behaviour and attendance.

Civil Service Recruitment

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the anticipated impact is of staff reductions in his Department on the delivery of services to (a) children under five, (b) school age children, (c) young people, (d) 14 to 19-year-olds, (e) adults and (f) families.

Charles Clarke: My Department is undertaking a radical transformation in its role and ways of working to deliver the ambitious agenda for reform set out in the Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners. Putting people at the heart of public services, building on the existing significant progress and substantial achievement, these changes will enable us to reduce the department's staffing levels and provide strategic leadership to the system, working with our partners and delivering resources to the front line to ensure the further improvements we are determined to secure in the services that we provide for children, young people adults and families.

School Computers

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils per computer there were in schools in (a) Norfolk and (b) Great Yarmouth in each year since 1996.

David Miliband: The information requested is not available centrally.
	Figures for England, which were derived from a sample of schools, are shown in the following table.
	
		Average number of pupils(14) per computer (used solely or mainly for teaching and learning purposes) by type of school, England
		
			  Maintained 
			 Year end March Primary Secondary Special 
		
		
			 1996 19.0 9.0 4.0 
			 1997 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1998 17.6 8.7 4.5 
			 1999 13.4 8.4 3.7 
			 2000 12.6 7.9 3.7 
			 2001 11.8 7.1 3.2 
			 2002 10.1 6.5 3.4 
			 2003 7.9 5.4 3.0 
			 2004 7.5 4.9 3.1 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	(14) Full-time equivalent numbers of pupils.
	The latest provisional data on ICT in schools was published in Statistical First Release 'Survey of Information and Communications Technology in Schools 2004', which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.

Departmental Administrative Costs

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures he is taking to reduce his Department's central administrative costs.

Charles Clarke: The 2004 Spending Review White Paper (Table 7.1) shows that the administrative costs of the Department (including Ofsted) will fall from £276 million in 2005–06 to £262 million in 2007–08. This reduction will be principally achieved by reducing staffing by 1,460 posts in the Department by April 2008, but will also reflect other improvements arising from the Efficiency Review.

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the Department spent on press officers in each year since 1996–97, broken down by grade.

Charles Clarke: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Staff numbers Spend (£000) 
		
		
			 1996–97 19: SCS1, SIO6.5, IO11.5 702 
			 1997–98 20.5: SCS1, G71, SIO7.5, IO10, AIO1 729 
			 1998–99 29.5: SCS2, G72, SIO11.5, IO10, AIO3 969 
			 1999–2000 28: SCS2, G73, SIO10, IO11, AIO2 997 
			 2000–01 28: SCS2, G73.5, SIO13.5, IO6, AIO3 1,307 
			 2001–02 28: SCS2, G74.5, SIO9.5, IO10, AIO2 1,097 
			 2002–03 23.4: SCS2, G73, SIO9.5, IO7, AIO2 1,314 
			 2003–04 18.5: SCS2, G74, SIO4.5, IO6, AIO x2 1,120 
		
	
	Key:
	SCS—Senior Civil Service
	G7—Grade 7
	SIO—Senior Information Officer
	IO—Information Officer
	AIO—Assistant Information Officer

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money the Department spent on (a) advertising and (b) public relations in each year since 1996–97.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 15 July 2004
	Expenditure for both advertising and public relations is listed as follows:
	
		£ million
		
			  Advertising Public relations 
		
		
			 1996–97 8.0 0 
			 1997–98 11.0 0 
			 1998–99 16.8 0.6 
			 1999–2000 12.4 0.1 
			 2000–01 29.7 0.8 
			 2001–02 20.5 1.7 
			 2002–03 11.3 2.4 
			 2003–04 19.5 1.9 
		
	
	As can be seen from the figures, spend on advertising fluctuates from year to year. Some campaigns will run over financial years and billing will fall in the later period. The increase in Public Relations (PR) relates to an increase in the use of external organisations to contact those elements of our key audiences that prove more difficult to reach through traditional advertising methods. Examples of this are in the promotion of adult basic skills, Aimhigher and Connexions. Since 2001–02, the Department has changed its approach by concentrating on having fewer, larger, more focused communications, such as that for adult basic skills (to help adults improve their reading, writing, language and maths) instead of numerous smaller campaigns.

Departmental Press Officers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many press officers are employed in his Department.

Charles Clarke: The Department for Education and Skills has 17 press officers.

Departmental Staffing

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to reduce staffing levels within his Department.

Charles Clarke: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 14 May 2004, Official Report, columns 624W, to the right hon. Member for West Dorset (Mr. Letwin).

Departmental Stress Policy

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the introduction of a stress policy in his Department.

Charles Clarke: My Department and the Trade Union Side are agreed on the importance of addressing workplace stress. My Department is working closely with the Trade Union Side to develop a stress policy based on the Health and Safety Executive Management Standards of good management practice.

Departmental Theft

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many mobile phones owned by his Department have been reported lost or stolen since 2001.

Ivan Lewis: Our records show that, since January 2001, twenty-six mobile telephones owned by my Department have been reported stolen and eight reported lost.

Departmental Theft

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the items that his Department has reported lost or stolen to the police from his Department's buildings and property since 2001.

Charles Clarke: The following table details the items that the Department for Education and Skills has reported lost or stolen to the police from the Department's buildings and property since 2001.
	
		
			 Financial year Item and quantity Approximate value per item (£) Total approximate value (£) 
		
		
			 2001–02 Laptop PC (1) 1,150 1,150 
			 2002–03 0 0 0 
			 2003–04 CD Player/Radio (1) 100 100 
			  CDs (6) 10 60 
			 2004 to date 0 0 0 
			 Total 8 items n/a 1,310

Departmental Theft

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the equivalent monetary cost of theft to (a) his Department and (b) the Executive Agencies affiliated to his Department has been in each year since his Department was established.

Ivan Lewis: The following table provides details of the equivalent monetary cost of theft to the Department for Education and Skills in each year since the Department was established in June 2001. We do not record similar data for any Executive Agency.
	
		
			 Financial year Cost of theft (£) 
		
		
			 2001–02 9,087 
			 2002–03 4,910 
			 2003–04 1,101 
			 2004-to date 5,858 
			 Total 20,956

Designated Accommodation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many rooms are set aside for (a) the use of smokers, (b) worship, broken down by religion and (c) nursing mothers and pregnant women in each building and set of offices for which his Department is responsible.

Charles Clarke: The following table shows the number of rooms which have been set aside in each of the five Department for Education and Skills buildings for (a) smokers (b) worship and (c) nursing/pregnant women.
	
		
			 Site/Building Smokers room Worship room Nursing/Pregnant women's facilities 
		
		
			 Darlington 1 1 (non denominational) 1 room 
			  1   
			 London:  
			 Caxton House 1 1 Muslim prayer room and 1 non denominational 1 room and use of the first aid room 
			 Sanctuary Buildings 1 1 Muslim prayer room and 1 non denominational 1 room 
			 
			 Sheffield 1 1 (non denominational) 1 room 
			 
			 Runcorn 3 1 (non denominational) Nursing chairs provided within on-site Nursery

Early Excellence Centres

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Early Excellence centres (a) have been opened and (b) are planned to be opened in (i) St. Helens and (ii) England, broken down by region.

Margaret Hodge: There is one Early Excellence Centre (EEC) in St. Helens based at Legh Vale school in Haydock ward.
	No further EECs will be developed. The Government are establishing children's centres across England many of which will be developed from existing EECs.
	There are 107 EECs in England six of which are special projects. The special projects are run by RNIB which works with four EECs (two in London and two in the South East) and NHS Newborn which works with two London based EEC's.
	A list of EECs in England, broken down by local authority region follows:
	
		Annex A
		
			 Local authority Number of Early Excellence Centres 
		
		
			 Bath and NE Somerset 1 
			 Bedfordshire 2 
			 Birmingham 2 
			 Blackpool 1 
			 Bolton 1 
			 Bradford 1 
			 Bristol 2 
			 Bury 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 2 
			 Camden 1 
			 Cornwall 2 
			 Coventry 1 
			 Croydon 1 
			 Cumbria network 1 
			 Derby 1 
			 Derbyshire 1 
			 Devon 2 
			 Dorset 1 
			 Durham 1 
			 Ealing 1 
			 Gateshead 1 
			 Gloucestershire 1 
			 Greenwich 1 
			 Hackney 1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2 
			 Hampshire 2 
			 Haringey 1 
			 Harrow 1 
			 Herefordshire 1 
			 Hertfordshire 1 
			 Hillingdon 1 
			 Isle of Wight 2 
			 Islington 2 
			 Kent 1 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1 
			 Kirklees 1 
			 Lambeth 1 
			 Lancashire 4 
			 Leeds 1 
			 Lewisham 1 
			 Liverpool 1 
			 Luton 2 
			 Manchester 1 
			 Middlesbrough 1 
			 Newcastle 1 
			 Newham 1 
			 Norfolk 1 
			 North East Lincolnshire 1 
			 North Tyneside 1 
			 Northamptonshire 1 
			 Northumberland 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 
			 Oxfordshire 2 
			 Peterborough 1 
			 Plymouth 1 
			 Portsmouth 1 
			 Reading 1 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 1 
			 Rotherham 2 
			 Somerset 2 
			 Southampton 1 
			 South Tyneside 1 
			 St Helens 1 
			 Stockport 1 
			 Sunderland 1 
			 Surrey 1 
			 Sutton 1 
			 Swindon 1 
			 Tameside 1 
			 Tower Hamlets 1 
			 Wakefield 1 
			 Waltham Forest 1 
			 Warwickshire 2 
			 Westminster 1 
			 West Sussex 1 
			 Wigan 2 
			 Wiltshire 2 
			 Wirral 2 
			 Wokingham 1 
			 Wolverhampton 1 
		
	
	Note:
	Six special projects are operated by NHS Newborn and RNIB. The RNIB project works with four EECs (two in North West and two in South East). The NHSP Newborn initiative works with two EECs in London.

Early-years Initiatives (Funding)

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been made available to (a) Sure Start projects, (b) Early Excellence centres, (c) Neighbourhood Nurseries and (d) other early years initiatives in the London borough of Enfield in each year since their inception; what the projected funding is over the period of the Spending Review; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The London borough of Enfield has one Sure Start local programme, five neighbourhood nursery projects, and no Early Excellence Centres. In addition grant was paid for a range of early year's initiatives within the Childcare Grant until 2003, and under the Sure Start General Grant between 2004–06. The funding for each initiative since its inception is as follows:
	
		Edmonton Sure Start local programme (revenue)
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1999–2000 42,000 
			 2000–01 924,000 
			 2001–02 1,300,000 
			 2002–03 1,300,000 
			 2003–04 1,300,000 
			 2004–05 1,300,000 
			 2005–06 1,300,000 
		
	
	Note:
	The programme was also allocated £1,250,000 capital funding.
	
		Neighbourhood Nursery Initiative (revenue)
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2003–04 133,500 
			 2004–05 531,600 
			 2005–06 297,600 
			 2006–07 90,300 
		
	
	Note:
	2006–07: £90,300 (funding agreed for this year due to slippage of last project). The authority has also been allocated £327,298 capital.
	
		Childcare Grant 1998–2003 -- £
		
			 Source data 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Childcare Grant 72,000 249,000 312,950 596,030 613,560 
			 National Recruitment Campaign — — 28,300 28,690 29,000 
			 Childminder Start-Up Grant — — 25,900 40,100 31,500 
			 Outdoor Play Equipment — — — 29,610 — 
			 Unlocking Barriers for Training — — — 114,102 79,893 
			 Daycare Expansion — — — 24,100 15,070 
			 Toy Libraries/Musical Instruments — — — 50,680 32,460 
			 Capital for Playgroup Conversion — — — — 19,950 
			 Foundation Stage — — — 94,448 94,448 
			 SENCO Training — — — 13,774 11,806 
			 SENCO Low Incidence — — —  18,903 
			 Capital Funding — — —  115,700 
			 Total 72,000 249,000 367,150 991,534 1,062,29 0 
		
	
	
		General Sure Start Grant funding 2004–06 -- £
		
			 Source data 2004–06 
		
		
			 Delivery Support Fund 1,031,179 
			 Children's Information Service 193,947 
			 Workforce Development (Recruitment and Training) 699,462 
			 Nursery Schools Development — 
			 Extended Schools 79,000 
			 New Childcare Places (Revenue) Disadvantaged Areas 236,685 
			 New Childcare Places (Revenue) Other Areas 86,462 
			 New Childcare Places (Capital for out of school Childcare) 51,232 
			 New Childcare Places (Capital for Playgroup Conversion) 99,000 
			 New Childcare Places (Capital for Playgroup Conversion)  Other Areas 36,387 
			 SEN and Inclusion (Children with Special Needs and  Disabled Children) 273,258 
			 Children's Centre's (Revenue) 1,033,220 
			 Children's Centres (Capital) 2,225,058 
			 Support Childminder Scheme 105,367 
			 Total 6,150,257 
		
	
	The Chancellor announced in the Spending Review that the Sure Start Unit will be allocated £1,167 million, £1,483 million and £1,667 million for 2005–06, 2006–07 and 2007–08 respectively for England. At this stage it is not possible to say how much will be allocated to individual local authorities.

Educational Attainment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of (a) girls and (b) boys in receipt of free school meals achieved (i) Level 2 or more at Key Stage 1 in (A) reading, (B) writing and (C) mathematics, (ii) Level 4 or above at Key Stage 2 for (1) English, (2) mathematics and (3) science, (iii) Level 5 and above at Key Stage 3 in (x) English, (y) mathematics and (z) science, (iv) five or more A*-C GCSE/GNVQ and (v) no passes at GCSE/GNVQ in each year since 1997; and what the percentages were for those not in receipt of free school meals.

David Miliband: holding answer 22 July 2004
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for North Swindon (Mr. Wills) on 4 May 2004, Official Report, column 1424W.
	A copy of the Statistical First Release 04/2004 was placed in the Libraries in response to this question.

Food Education

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether food skills training is provided in primary school teachers' initial teacher training.

David Miliband: All trainee teachers must demonstrate the standards set out in "Qualifying to teach", which represent the minimum that trainees must know, understand and be able to do to be awarded qualified teacher status. Although the standards as they apply to primary school trainees do not specify food skills training, they require that they should be familiar with the National Curriculum Framework for personal, social and health education, which at Key Stage 2 includes teaching about the benefits of healthy eating. Once employed within schools, teachers can look to professional development programmes to develop food technology skills.

Food Education

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what action is being taken to help primary school teachers to teach cookery in addition to the Food in Schools programme;
	(2)  what action his Department is taking to improve food education in schools;
	(3)  how many primary schools have the (a) necessary equipment and (b) purpose built facilities to enable pupils to prepare and cook food;
	(4)  how much schools have spent on average for each pupil in each of the last 10 years on food education in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

Stephen Twigg: On 6 September, the Government published the Healthy Living Blueprint for Schools. A copy is being placed in the House of Commons Library. The Blueprint and a supporting website will help teachers access support, advice and information to create a healthy school environment. It includes food education within the National Curriculum, and wider opportunities through, for example, cookery and growing clubs.
	In addition to the Food in Schools programme, there are food technology teachers in Technology Specialist Schools and food technology Advanced Skills Teachers who support their feeder primary schools in food education as part of their outreach work.
	The Department does not collect detailed information about expenditure on equipment or per pupil for individual subjects; or on facilities for food education in primary schools. This year, the Government have increased its support for capital investment in schools to £4.5 billion. This includes direct capital funding to every primary school, which a school could allocate for food technology facilities.

Fraud

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the cost of fraud to (a) his Department and (b) the Executive Agencies affiliated to his Department in the last year for which figures are available.

Charles Clarke: The total amount of departmental funds under investigation in the financial year 2003–04 was £177,300. All cases of fraud or alleged fraud were investigated by the Department's Special Investigations Unit. Fully trained, professionally qualified fraud examiners staff this unit.
	The Department has no Executive Agencies.

General Teaching Council/Teacher Training Agency

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will break down the 2002–03 administration cost of the Teacher Training Agency by main budget heading.

David Miliband: Part 14 of the TTA's Financial Statements 2002–03 outlines a total of 5 budget lines contributing to a total administration expenditure of £10.479 million of which: staff costs totalled £6.651 million and other administration costs totalled £3.828 million.

General Teaching Council/Teacher Training Agency

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost of the General Teaching Council was in 2002–03, broken down by main budget heading.

David Miliband: The total expenditure incurred by the GTC in 2002–03 totalled £11.237 million of which staff costs were £3.559 million. Other costs totalled £7.678 million.
	A more detailed breakdown of the figures can be found on page 20 of the GTC's Annual Report and Accounts 2002–03.

General Teaching Council/Teacher Training Agency

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff were employed in the (a) Teacher Training Agency and (b) General Teaching Council in 2002–03; and what the staff costs were in each case.

David Miliband: The Teacher Training Agency employed an average of 193 staff during the financial year 2002–03. The total staff costs for the year were £6.651 million.
	The General Teaching Council for England employed an average of 109 staff during the financial year 2002–03. The total staff costs for the year were £3.559 million.
	The staff costs included temporary staff and secondees, and are disclosed in the organisations' accounts.

Graduate Employment

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research his Department has commissioned regarding the number of university graduates who enter graduate jobs within six months of graduating.

Alan Johnson: The Department's main data source for monitoring the destination of graduates is the First Destination Survey (FDS), which is collected annually by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). This records the employment position of graduates six months after graduation, including the type of work obtained by those graduates entering employment. These figures are published by HESA annually in 'First Destinations of Students leaving Higher Education Institutions', a copy of which can be found in the House Library.
	Following a comprehensive review, the FDS has been expanded for 2002–03 to cover students completing part-time courses and to collect additional information on the student's employment.

Higher Education (Newcastle upon Tyne)

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of 18-year-olds were accepted for entry to higher education through UCAS in the City of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in each year since 1995.

Alan Johnson: The available information is taken from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and covers 18-year-old applicants accepted through UCAS to full-time first degree and HND courses. Figures are given in the table.
	
		18-year-old applicants domiciled in the Newcastle-upon-Tyne LEA, accepted through UCAS to full-time first degree and HND courses
		
			 Year of entry Number Percentage 
		
		
			 1995 607 22.2 
			 1996 603 21.0 
			 1997 527 16.4 
			 1998 593 18.0 
			 1999 553 17.2 
			 2000 609 18.9 
			 2001 754 23.3 
			 2002 826 24.4 
			 2003 872 25.1 
		
	
	Source:
	Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and population figures based on projections from the Government Actuary's Department and the Office for National Statistics.

IT Training

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to improve (a) IT training and (b) access to the internet for older people.

Ivan Lewis: The information is as follows:
	(a) DfES colleagues are currently working with partners, developing a strategy to take forward the commitments to ICT user skills made in the White Paper, 21st Century Skills, realising our potential, which include designating ICT as a Skill for Life.
	A project called "Cybrarian" is currently being developed which aims to help reduce the digital divide by facilitating access to the Internet and to learning opportunities for those who currently do not, or cannot, use the Internet. This may be because of a lack of skills or confidence, or because of physical or cognitive disabilities.
	(b) DfES has established a network of 6,000 UK online centres to help those who have not used computers or the Internet before, or who do not have access to a computer of their own. These centres provide free or low cost access to ICT and the Internet, with support from staff on hand to help individuals get started. One of the target groups is older people. Everyone in England should be able to find a UK online centre near to their home. Around 3,000 are based in libraries and the rest are located to provide easy access for all.

Learner Satisfaction Survey

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how much was spent by the Learning and Skills Council on producing the Learner Satisfaction Survey in 2003;
	(2)  what funding methodology was used for setting budgets for local learning and skills councils in 2003–04;
	(3)  how much money has been allocated to each local learning and skills council in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06.

Ivan Lewis: These are matters for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom the Council's Chief Executive will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Learning Difficulties/Disabilities (Coventry, South)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Coventry, South students in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools suffer from learning (i) difficulties and (ii) disabilities.

Margaret Hodge: Learning difficulties and learning disabilities are covered within the definition set out in section 312 of the Education Act 1996 which states that children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.
	Children have a learning difficulty if they:
	(a) have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age
	(b) have a disability which prevents and hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the area of the local authority.
	The table shows numbers of pupils with SEN in Coventry, South.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(15): number of pupils with special education needs (SEN)—January 2004 (provisional)
		
			 Coventry, South parliamentary constituency(16) Maintained primary Maintained secondary 
		
		
			 Total pupils 7,780 7,410 
			 Pupils with statements of SEN 80 150 
			 Percentage 1.0 2.0 
			 Pupils with SEN but without  statements(17) 1,340 1,270 
			 Percentage 17.3 17.1 
		
	
	(15) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(16) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	(17) Includes children at "School Action" and "School Action Plus" as described in the SEN Code of Practice.

Minimum Pupil Numbers

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to require small schools to have a minimum number of pupils.

David Miliband: We have no plans to require small schools to have a minimum number of pupils.
	Decisions on proposed changes to schools, including opening and closing, are taken by each area's local School Organisation Committee, or an independent schools adjudicator, and the Department's guidance makes clear that they must not assume a school must be of a certain size to be a good school. LEAs have a statutory duty to ensure sufficient and efficient school provision in their area and we will expect them to take parental preferences into account in their planning process. LEAs must also ensure that each area offers high quality education in a cost effective way.

New Schools (Great Yarmouth)

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many new (a) primary and (b) secondary schools were opened in the Great Yarmouth constituency between 1979 and 1997; and what proposals have been made for building new schools within the Great Yarmouth constituency since 1997.

David Miliband: Information is only available for new school openings since 1988. Between 1988 and 1997 no new schools were established in Great Yarmouth. Since 1997, approval has been given for four new Primary schools, namely:
	
		
			 School name Reason for opening 
		
		
			 Herman Community Primary School Amalgamation of Herman First and Herman Middle School 
			 Peterhouse Community Primary School Amalgamation of Peterhouse First and Peterhouse Middle School 
			 Martham Foundation Primary School Amalgamation of Martham First School and Nursery and West Flegg Middle School 
			 Belton Voluntary Community Primary School Amalgamation of Waveney First School and Breydon Middle School 
		
	
	Proposals for the new schools were approved by the local School Organisation Committee on 6 December 2002 and they are due to open this coming September.
	Plans for any future organisation of schools are a matter for the local authority.

Education (Northampton, South)

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) teachers and (b) education support staff there were in Northampton, South in each year since 1992.

David Miliband: The following table gives the full-time equivalent number of regular teachers and support staff employed in maintained sector schools in Northampton, South constituency for each year from 1997 to 2003, the latest year available. Data are not available at constituency level prior to 1997.
	
		
			  Teachers Support staff 1 
		
		
			 2003 851 683 
			 2002 860 659 
			 2001 858 633 
			 2000 765 464 
			 1999 756 446 
			 1998 749 397 
			 1997 763 398 
		
	
	(18) Includes teaching assistants, administrative staff, technicians, medical and other child care and education support staff.
	Source:
	Annual School Census.

Education (Northampton, South)

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will break down achievement at each key stage in 2003 in Northampton by ethnicity, subdivided into those (a) in receipt of and (b) not in receipt of free school meals.

David Miliband: The requested information has been placed in the Libraries.

Education (Northampton, South)

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average class size in Northampton, South for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools was in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: The requested information is given in the table.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(19): Average size of classes taught by one teacher(20)Northampton, South parliamentary constituency(21)
		
			  Primary Secondary 
			 Position in January each year: 1997 to 2004 (provisional) Number of pupils Number of classes Average class size Number of pupils Number of classes Average class size 
		
		
			 1997 7,400 270 27.1 6,930 330 21.3 
			 1998 7,340 270 27.4 6,790 300 22.9 
			 1999 7,360 270 27.4 6,890 290 23.5 
			 2000 7,310 270 27.1 7,010 290 23.8 
			 2001 7,170 270 26.3 8,480 380 22.5 
			 2002 7,170 290 25.2 7,840 330 23.8 
			 2003 7,440 300 25.0 7,320 320 22.7 
			 20044, 5 9,500 370 25.8 5,700 260 22.0 
		
	
	(19) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(20) Classes as taught during the one selected period in each school on the day of the census in January.
	(21) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	(22) Difference in figures from 2003 to 2004 is due to some schools within Northampton, South parliamentary constituency changing status from middle deemed secondary schools to primary school status.
	(23) Provisional.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census.

Offender Education

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time teachers and tutors are in post at each (i) prison and (ii) young offender institute.

Ivan Lewis: There are currently 405 full-time teachers and tutors in post in prisons and 271 in Young Offenders Institutions. For part-time teachers the figures are 225 in prisons and 103 in Young Offenders Institutes.

Offender Education

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many prison education tutors have (a) resigned and (b) been made redundant in each of the last five years; and how many vacancies there are for these staff.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not held centrally by HM Prison Service. Learning and skills in prisons are delivered by 28 educational providers in 137 prisons.
	Matters relating to the employment status of tutors are the responsibility of the contractors.

Offender Education

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has for the Offenders' Learning and Skills Unit within his Department.

Ivan Lewis: The OLSU continues to play a key role in managing improvements to offender learning and skills, working in partnership with a range of Departments and agencies across Government; including the Learning and Skills Council and the prison and probation services. From April 2004, the role of the unit extends to learning and skills for offenders in the community, as well as in custody.
	As we develop plans for improving future delivery of learning and skills for offenders, the unit expects to work increasingly closely with the Learning and Skills Council and other regional partners. As part of the Government's commitment to moving resources closer to the front line of delivery, we will consider how the unit's regional advisory staff could work most effectively within the regions for the future.

Offender Education

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what role the regional Learning and Skills Councils will have in the (a) commissioning and (b) delivery of offender education in (i) prisons and (ii) the community;
	(2)  whether the new contracts for prison education will provide funding for (a) staff development, (b) lesson planning, (c) marking of students' work and (d) pastoral education.

Ivan Lewis: The DfES is working closely with the Learning and Skills Council, the Prison Service, the Probation Service, the Youth Justice Board and JobCentreplus on new arrangements to support improvements in the learning and skills of offenders in the community as well as those in custody.
	The Learning and Skills Council already works in partnership at local level with probation services in order to deliver learning and skills to offenders under supervision in the community. From next year, starting in the three development regions of the north east, north west and south west, the LSC will also assume lead responsibility for planning and funding, education and work related skills training for offenders in custody.
	The precise balance between local, regional and national commissioning in arrangements for the future service for offenders, and the detailed content of any new contracts, will be agreed as we develop a new delivery framework over the next year.
	This work is still at an early stage. We expect the LSC to ensure flexibility in contracting arrangements, and to adopt a funding formula which will promote consistency in the funding of offender learning across all regions. In the meantime, in order to ensure stability, we are extending the current prison education contracts in broadly their existing form.

Pensioner Education

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to improve access to education for pensioners.

Ivan Lewis: Our plans were set out in the White Paper "21st Century Skills; Realising Our Potential" published in July 2003. We are committed to safeguarding a wide range of opportunities for pensioners. This is why we have agreed a budget with the Learning and Skills Council of £207.4 million in 2004–05 for adult and community learning secured through local education authorities, compared with £206 million in 2003–04. 28 per cent. of learners on these courses are aged 65 or over.

PFI/PPP Contracts (Financial Advice)

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many contracts his Department had with (a) Barclays, (b) Royal Bank of Scotland, (c) UBS Warburg and (d) Bank of Scotland for advice on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts in each financial year since 2001–02; and what fees were paid in each case.

David Miliband: There are no records of contracts with the organisations listed, or of any payments to them, for these purposes.

Pre-school Education

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the Government's policy is on pre-school education access; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the Government expects to meet its target of providing free part-time nursery education places to all three and four year old children by September; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what plans the Government has to expand access to pre-school education; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: In 1997 access to free nursery education was effectively a postcode lottery. We have since invested more than £11 billion as part of an unprecedented expansion of early years provision. From 1 April 2004, six months ahead of the original target, we have amended the regulatory framework to require all local authorities to ensure there is sufficient provision to deliver a free part time nursery education place for all three and four-year-olds whose parents want one. Provisional data from the January 2004 Early Years Census, published in May, confirmed that around 93 per cent. of three-year-olds and virtually all four year olds were already benefiting from some free provision. The Department's Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners, presented to Parliament in July (Cm 6272) outlined our plans to transform and build on the basic free entitlement by enabling parents to use it more flexibly as part of a wider integrated offer of education and child care.

Pre-school Education

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many free (a) nursery and (b) pre-school places were available for (i) three and (ii) four-year-olds in Great Yarmouth in each of the last seven years.

Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested.
	Figures on the number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Norfolk local education authority area are shown in the table.
	
		Number of free nursery education places1,2 taken up by three and four-year-old children in maintained nursery and primary schools and private, voluntary and independent providers Norfolk local education authority area, 1997–2003
		
			 Position in January each year Three-year-olds Four-year-olds 
		
		
			 1997 1,500 8,200 
			 1998 1,800 8,400 
			 1999 1,900 8,500 
			 2000 1,900 8,900 
			 2001 2,000 8,400 
			 2002 4,800 8,400 
			 2003 6,100 8,400 
		
	
	(24) Part-time equivalent number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-old children.
	(25) A free nursery education place comprises five two-and-a-half hour sessions of early years education per week, for 33 weeks of the year, usually three terms of 11 weeks.
	The latest figures on provision for three and four-year-olds in England were published in a Statistical First Release, "Provision for Children Under Five Years of Age in England—January 2004", which is available on the Department's website: www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/
	From April 2004, six months ahead of our original target, all three-year-olds in England whose parents want one, are eligible for a free, part-time early education place.

Primary Schools (Non-teaching Grant)

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will ring-fence a specific grant in 2005–06 for planning, preparation and assessment time for primary school teachers.

David Miliband: I refer the Member for Gloucester to the written statement I laid before the House on 13 July 2004, Official Report, column 55WS, on school funding for 2005–06. On the same day there was also a press notice issued by the Department (DfES press notice 2004/0137), which included a statement welcoming the school funding settlement by those school workforce unions represented on the Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group.
	The written statement to the House sets out how we have considered, with our partner signatories, the costs of implementation of the National Agreement. It announces what funds will be available to schools to implement the Agreement in 2005–06.

Prison Education

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when his Department will (a) release full details of the new contracts for prison education, (b) begin accepting tenders, (c) make decisions on which tenders will be successful and (d) announce a start date for the new contracts.

Ivan Lewis: We announced in January that we would not re-tender prison education contracts. With the creation of the new National Offender Management Service and the drive to get more resources to front-line services, we are looking to incorporate offender learning and skills more fully into mainstream further education provision.
	The Offenders' Learning and Skills Unit and the Learning and Skills Council are working with the Prison and Probation Services to develop a new integrated service, initially in three development regions in England. The outcome of this work will inform the national implementation of a new, fully integrated service to offenders from September 2006.
	In the meantime, in order to ensure stability as we develop the new service delivery arrangements, Prison Service officials are negotiating extensions to existing contracts from September 2004.

Pupil Exclusions

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils were excluded from schools in (a) Great Yarmouth and (b) Norfolk in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: The available information is given in the table.
	Exclusions data for 2000/01, 2001/02 and 2002/03 are known to have been under-reported by some schools. The Department carried out a checking exercise, but this was at LEA level only. As a result this information is not available at parliamentary constituency level for the three most recent years.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(26)number and percentage of permanently excluded pupils 1997–98 to 2002–03 2,3
		
			  Primary Secondary 
			  Number Percentage(29) Number Percentage(29) 
		
		
			 Great Yarmouth parliamentary constituency 
			 1997–98 10 0.09 20 0.59 
			 1998–99 10 0.07 30 0.76 
			 1999–2000 (30)— 0.03 10 0.14 
			 2000–01 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2001–02 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2002–03(28) n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Norfolk LEA 
			 1997–98 40 0.05 100 0.25 
			 1998–99 30 0.04 130 0.31 
			 1999–2000 20 0.03 60 0.14 
			 2000–01 20 0.03 40 0.10 
			 2001–02 20 0.04 50 0.12 
			 2002–03(28) 10 0.02 50 0.10 
		
	
	n/a=Not available.
	(26) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(27) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	(28) Provisional.
	(29) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils, excluding dually registered pupils.
	(30) Less than 5.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census

Pupil Exclusions

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) primary and (b) secondary pupils on average were (i) permanently excluded from school and (ii) unable to access a place in school in each of the last five years in (A) the London borough of Enfield, (B) Inner London and (C) England; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Requested information on the number and percentage of excluded pupils is given in the tables.
	
		Maintained primary schools(31): Number and percentage of permanently excluded pupils, 1997/98 to 2002/03 (provisional) 2
		
			  Enfield LEA Inner London England 
			  Number Percentage(33) Number Percentage(33) Number Percentage(33) 
		
		
			 1997–98 10 0.04 150 0.06 1,540 0.03 
			 1998–99 10 0.02 110 0.05 1,370 0.03 
			 1999–2000 (34)— 0.01 80 0.03 1,230 0.03 
			 2000–01 10 0.02 80 0.04 1,440 0.03 
			 2001–02 10 0.02 80 0.03 1,450 0.03 
			 2002–03(35) 10 0.02 60 0.03 1,300 0.03 
		
	
	(31) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(32) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and the totals as shown.
	(33) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils, excluding dually registered pupils.
	(34) Less than 5.
	(35) Provisional.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census.
	
		Maintained secondary schools(36): Number and percentage of permanently excluded pupils, 1997/98 to 2002/03 (provisional) 2
		
			  Enfield LEA Inner London England 
			  Number Percentage(38) Number Percentage(38) Number Percentage(38) 
		
		
			 1997–98 70 0.39 570 0.48 10,190 0.33 
			 1998–99 70 0.36 500 0.41 8,640 0.28 
			 1999–2000 70 0.34 410 0.33 6,710 0.21 
			 2000–01 70 0.32 430 0.34 7,310 0.23 
			 2001–02 60 0.31 390 0.30 7,740 0.24 
			 2002–03(39) 50 0.22 390 0.30 7,690 0.23 
		
	
	(36) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(37) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and the totals as shown.
	(38) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils, excluding dually registered pupils.
	(39) Provisional.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census.
	We do not hold information centrally on the numbers of excluded pupils unable to access a place in school. However, from September 2002 all local education authorities (LEAs) have been committed to providing suitable full-time education for permanently excluded pupils from the sixteenth day of their exclusion. Since then all but a handful of LEAs have met this commitment. Currently only two LEAs are not meeting it and the Department is working with them to help them achieve it.

Pupil Expenditure (Great Yarmouth)

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public money was spent per pupil in the Great Yarmouth constituency in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: The information requested is submitted to the Department according to local education authority areas rather than constituency level. The figures provided are for Norfolk LEA and are shown in the following table:
	
		Net current expenditure (after recharges) per pupil
		
			  Total 
		
		
			 1997–98 2,380 
			 1998–99 2,470 
			 1999–2000 2,570 
			 2000–01 2,850 
			 2001–02 3,180 
			 2002–03 3,400 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Net current expenditure (NCE) includes expenditure within schools and also that incurred centrally by the LEA. This is divided by the number of pupils educated in mainstream schools to calculate a unit cost.
	2. Section 52 is collected at local authority level, not constituency level, so the figures provided are for Norfolk LEA.
	3. 1999–2000 figures reflect the return of GM schools to local authority maintenance.
	4. The outturn 2002–03 tables captured the data in a fundamentally different way to the previous years. Categories were aligned with the Consistent Financial Reporting framework and the spending by LEAs was no longer split by school sector. This change in calculation is identified by the dotted line. The 2002–03 figure is calculated by taking all the LEA expenditure, excluding CERA and Youth and Community, and dividing it by the FTE pupil numbers in maintained pre-primary, primary, secondary and special schools.
	5. Data as reported by Norfolk LEA as at 22 July 2004.
	6. Figures are reported in Cash Terms and are rounded to the nearest £10.
	7. The financial data are taken from Norfolk LEAs' Section 52 Outturn Statement submitted to the DfES from 1999–2000 onwards and the ODPM's RO1 statement previously. 2002–03 data remains provisional and is subject to change by the LEA.
	8. Pupil data are drawn from the Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis.

Pupil Referral Units

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to permit academically-orientated students who have been expelled from mainstream education and who are in Pupil Referral Units to study in academic surroundings to complete their education.

Ivan Lewis: As part of their legal responsibilities, LEAs are able to make arrangements for all students within Pupil Referral Units (PRUs), including those who have been excluded, to attend other educational establishments (for example Further Education Colleges) in order to complete their education. This is in addition to the core curriculum that must be provided within PRUs. LEA's responsibilities are emphasised in the new guidance "Guidance for LEAs on PRUs and Alternative Provision", which will be issued in the autumn, but is already accessible by them in draft form.

School Budgets

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action he is taking to give head teachers more control over school budgets.

David Miliband: Governing bodies and head teachers are already free to deploy the resources allocated to them through local education authorities' school funding formulae in accordance with their own assessment of their schools' needs and priorities. From April 2006, individual schools will receive guaranteed three-year budgets and this will give them even more control of their own resources by enabling them to take a much more strategic approach to their budgets.
	In addition to recurrent funding, each maintained school in England is also allocated direct capital funding which it can use for its investment priorities. This year, a typical secondary school will get about £85,000 of its own capital, and a typical primary school about £25,000.

School Budgets

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to conduct research into how school budgets are spent.

David Miliband: The DfES is actively involved in a programme of research into how schools use their budgets. This includes a detailed analysis of school expenditure patterns from the Consistent Financial Reporting data, which will provide schools with an indication of how their own expenditure compares to the overall national picture. This work complements the existing Schools Financial Benchmarking web site that allows schools to compare their income and expenditure with other similar schools.
	As well as analysis of expenditure information, qualitative analysis will be carried out in schools to identify the process by which schools allocate their resources to develop better advice.
	Finally there is a work stream in progress developing measures of school efficiency and productivity. These methods look specifically at the relationship between the way in which a school allocates its resources and the outcomes it achieves given the context in which it operates.

School Refurbishment (Great Yarmouth)

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been given to (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the Great Yarmouth constituency for the refurbishment of school buildings since 1997.

David Miliband: We do not hold information in the form requested. The bulk of capital funding is allocated to local education authorities (LEAs) and schools by formula so that they can decide their priorities for investment in line with locally decided asset management plans. It is therefore for them to decide the balance of investment between primary and secondary schools.
	The Department allocates capital funding at local authority and school level. The following table sets out the capital support provided by the Department to Norfolk LEA and its schools since 1996–97.
	
		Capital allocations to Norfolk and its schools
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 1996–97 4,786 
			 1997–98 4,907 
			 1998–99 9,199 
			 1999–2000 10,589 
			 2000–01 25,545 
			 2001–02 21,219 
			 2002–03 (40)123,526 
			 2003–04 39,292 
			 2004–05 (41)106,619 
		
	
	(40) Includes £92 million of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) credits.
	(41) Includes £60 million of PFI credits.

School Start Date

Barbara Follett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to allow children to start primary education in the September of the calendar year in which the child has its sixth birthday.

David Miliband: We have no plans to change from the current statutory provisions which require that children start primary education in the term after their fifth birthday.

Science and Innovation Consultation

Kerry Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential benefits to (a) science in schools and (b) biology fieldwork following the science and innovation consultation; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: The Government's Science and Innovation 10-year Investment Framework sets out our comprehensive strategy for tackling skills shortages in the science, engineering and technology. We outlined how we would improve science teaching and learning in schools by providing additional incentives to recruit more people to train to be science teachers, making better use of specialist science support staff and, subject to the advice of the School Teacher Review Body, enabling science Advanced Skills Teachers to be paid more. We also outlined the importance of a science curriculum that inspires young people, with opportunities for exciting science practical work in and outside the classroom.
	To improve teacher confidence in using fieldwork, we have funded the Field Studies Council in association with the Geographical Association, the Association of Science Education and the Open University to develop a training course for geography and science teachers. Complementary courses on fieldwork will also be offered through the new national network of Science Learning Centres. Our Growing Schools programme supports teachers to educate pupils about food cultivation, farming, and understanding the natural environment, as well as how to use the outdoors for teaching subjects across the curriculum.

Secondary School Targets

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations the Department has received regarding its new secondary school targets.

David Miliband: The DfES has received no formal representations on the new secondary school PSA targets since their announcement on 12 July.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (Great Yarmouth)

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent in Great Yarmouth on measures within the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is not held in this format.
	Norfolk county council will spend an estimated £45 million on special educational needs in 2004–05. This includes the amount delegated to schools and the authority's central spend on special needs. In addition, Norfolk has £1,352,236 available in 2004–05 through the Schools Access Initiative.

Strategic Area Reviews

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost of strategic area reviews was in 2003–04; and how much is budgeted for (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06.

Ivan Lewis: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) was established in 2001 to plan and fund post-16 education and training. LSC led strategic area reviews were introduced in April 2003 and are an integral part of this planning role. No extra funding was allocated to carry out these reviews and it is therefore not possible to disaggregate their specific cost from the overall cost of the wide range of planning activities carried out by local LSCs.

Student Grants/Loans

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will place in the Library the survey referred to in his answer of 10 May 2004, Official Report, columns 53–54W, on student grants.

Alan Johnson: The specially commissioned survey referred to in the answer of 10 May 2004, Official Report, columns 53–54W, was collected from local education authorities in England and Wales and completion of it was on a voluntary basis. The response rate means that the survey results cannot be used safely at the level of individual LEAs, although we can use it nationally when also combined with income data from other sources. That is how we constructed the estimate of the proportion of students anticipated to receive the full grant of £2,700. However because of the data quality issues it is not possible to publish the raw survey data itself.

Student Grants/Loans

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what monetary sums were transferred to the Scottish Office further to the sale of portfolios of student loans in (a) 1998 and (b) 1999.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 8 July 2004
	The sums paid to the Scottish Office in respect of the two student loan debt sales were as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1998 110,186,867.85 
			 1999 110,000,778.97

Sure Start

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Sure Start programmes (a) have begun and (b) are planned in (i) St. Helens and (ii) England, broken down by region.

Margaret Hodge: Five Sure Start local programmes have been established in St. Helens since 1999. No further Sure Start local programmes will be developed. As part of our policy to mainstream Sure Start principles, the Government are establishing children's centres across England, many of which will be developed from existing Sure Start local programmes.
	524 Sure Start local programmes have been established in England; these break down by region as follows.
	
		
			 Region Number 
		
		
			 East of England 24 
			 East Midlands 44 
			 London 96 
			 North East 62 
			 North West 108 
			 South East 33 
			 South West 31 
			 West Midlands 58 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 68

Sure Start

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans the Government have to extend Sure Start beyond the 20 per cent. most deprived wards; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Sure Start benefits children, parents and communities across the country, delivering free early education for all three and four-year-olds, improving the quality and affordability of child care, and creating at least 250,000 new child care places by 2006. Sure Start children's centres are being established initially in the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged wards and areas where pockets of disadvantage exist in England. By March 2008 we will have up to 2,500 children's centres which will cover all the 20 per cent. wards and beyond. The Government's long-term aim is to develop a children's centre in every community.

Sure Start

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding has been allocated to the Great Yarmouth constituency under the Sure Start scheme.

Margaret Hodge: A total of £8,101,348 Sure Start funding has so far been allocated to the constituency of Great Yarmouth, comprising £3,136,535 capital and £4,706,921 revenue towards the development of two Sure Start local programmes, two neighbourhood Nurseries and two Children's Centres. The combined programmes will provide Sure Start services for around 1,596 children and families in the six most disadvantaged wards in the constituency. These figures does not include local authorities funding for child care and nursery education allocated to Norfolk county council.

Teachers

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the impact in Nottingham of reductions in numbers of teachers and teaching assistants on the introduction of planning, preparation and assessment time for all teachers.

David Miliband: Individual schools will decide how they introduce planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time for all teachers from September 2005. That is because schools make changes in their staffing levels every year in response to a range of issues including changing pupil numbers, new school priorities and the resources available to them.
	The calculation of the Education Formula Spending Share has a floor and ceiling component which ensures that all authorities see a minimum increase per pupil which is in part funded by having a ceiling which imposes a maximum increase per pupil. In 2004–05 Nottingham City local education authority received the ceiling increase (6.8 per cent. per pupil and percentages provide for average cost of implementing PPA time).
	I refer also to the written statement I laid before the House on 13 July 2004, Official Report, column 55WS, on school funding for 2005–06. On the same day there was also a press notice issued by the Department (DfES press notice 2004/0137), which included a statement welcoming the school funding settlement by the Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group (made up of the majority of the school workforce unions and other partners).
	The written statement to the House sets out how we have considered, with our partner signatories, the costs of implementation of the National Agreement. It announces what funds will be available to schools to implement the Agreement in 2005–06.
	At local level, the funding allocation for each local education authority for 2005–06 will be announced in the provisional local government finance settlement in the autumn. However, every authority will receive an increase in the Schools Formula Spending Share of at least 5.5 per cent. per pupil. Primary and nursery schools will receive a minimum funding increase per pupil of 5 per cent. and secondary schools of 4 per cent. where pupil numbers do not change.
	We will continue to monitor trends in the schools workforce through the Annual Schools Census each January. There are now 427,800 full-time equivalent teachers—28,600 more than in 1997 and the highest number since 1981—and the number of support staff has increased to 241,700, having more than doubled since 1997. These figures illustrate the trend of the significant increases in teachers and support staff since 1997.
	The next School Workforce Volume will be available in the autumn.

Teachers

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the most recent estimate is of the average total salary of a (a) primary school teacher and (b) secondary school teacher in (i) Enfield, (ii) Inner London and (iii) England; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The following table shows the average salary of full-time teachers employed in maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools in Enfield local education authority, Inner London and England in March 2002, the latest information available.
	
		£
		
			  Nursery and primary Secondary 
		
		
			 Enfield LEA 29,700 32,070 
			 Inner London 30,880 33,660 
			 England 27,600 29,550 
		
	
	Source:
	The Database of Teacher Records. Figures cover all grades and include all allowances.

Teachers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what level of proficiency participants in (a) the Post Graduate Certificate of Education, (b) Teach First and (c) the Graduate Teacher Programme need to reach with regard to (i) ICT and (ii) special educational needs to be deemed to have met the course requirements.

David Miliband: Before they can be recommended for qualified teacher status, all trainee teachers, whatever training route they follow, must demonstrate that they have achieved the professional standards for QTS set out in "Qualifying to teach". This applies to all the standards, including those related to ICT and special educational needs.

Teachers

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) primary and (b) secondary teacher vacancies there were at the start of each of the last five academic years in (i) the London borough of Enfield, (ii) inner London and (iii) England; what the percentage salary rate was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The tables show teacher vacancy numbers and rates in maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools in the London borough of Enfield, inner London and England in January of each year since 1999. January 2003 is the latest year available.
	
		
			  Nursery and Primary 
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Vacancies(42)  
			 Enfield 19 13 29 27 16 
			 Inner London 367 355 510 321 153 
			 England 1,374 1,420 2,110 1,796 1,114 
			   
			 Rates(43)  
			 Enfield 1.9 1.2 2.7 2.5 1.8 
			 Inner London 3.8 3.6 5.4 3.4 1.6 
			 England 0.8 0.8 1.2 1.0 0.6 
		
	
	
		
			  Secondary 
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Vacancies(42)  
			 Enfield 9 15 33 33 21 
			 Inner London 140 197 367 267 194 
			 England 939 1,246 2,586 2,447 2,050 
			   
			 Rates(43)  
			 Enfield 0.7 1.3 2.7 3.0 1.8 
			 Inner London 1.9 2.6 4.8 3.5 2.6 
			 England 0.5 0.7 1.4 1.3 1.1 
		
	
	(42) Advertised vacancies for full-time permanent appointments (or appointments of at least one term's duration). Includes vacancies being filled on a temporary basis of less than one term.
	(43) Vacancies as a percentage of full-time qualified teachers in post.
	Source:
	DfES annual survey of teachers in service (Form 618g)

Teachers

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many full-time equivalent teachers have been employed in Suffolk in each of the last 10 years.

David Miliband: The following table gives the full-time equivalent number of regular teachers in the maintained schools sector in Suffolk local education authority in each January since 1994. 2003 is the latest year available.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2003 5,700 
			 2002 5,660 
			 2001 5,490 
			 2000 5,450 
			 1999 5,450 
			 1998 5,380 
			 1997 5,330 
			 1996 5,330 
			 1995 5,360 
			 1994 5,270 
		
	
	Source:
	DfES annual survey of teachers in service (Form 618G).

Westgate College, Newcastle

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what bids he has received for Westgate College, Newcastle under the Building Schools for the Future programme; when he expects to make a decision; and what funding mechanism he expects to use.

David Miliband: While I can confirm that West Gate Community College is included in Newcastle-upon-Tyne's proposal for the renewal of its secondary school estate to be funded in wave 1 of Building Schools for the Future, the authority is still working with my officials to develop its proposals in detail.
	We hope to confirm approval of Newcastle's proposals later this year, at which point the relevant funding mechanisms will also be confirmed.

Working Age People (Qualifications)

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the change in (a) basic skills and (b) proportion of working age people (i) with no qualifications, (ii) qualified to level 2 and (iii) qualified to level 4 has been in the constituency of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: (a) The 2003 Skills for Life survey provides the latest estimate of literacy and numeracy levels for England, the North East and the Tyne and Wear Learning and Skills Council area in particular. At present it is not possible to estimate levels of need for the Newcastle-upon-Tyne area although such figures will be available via DfES's website this autumn. The Skills for Life survey maps skill levels to the National Standards for Adult Literacy and Numeracy and is not directly comparable with previous estimates of basic skills need. This means we are unable to look at changes in basic skills levels since 1997.
	The survey highlights that 22 per cent. of North East respondents were classified at Entry Level 3 or below for literacy (below a GCSE grade G). The figure for England as a whole is 16 per cent. If the North East's population is approximately 2.6 million, this would mean that over 500,000 people would have literacy skills at entry level 3 or below. For Tyne and Wear LSC area, 22 per cent. of respondents were at Entry Level 3 or below for literacy.
	For numeracy, 55 per cent. of North East respondents were classified at Entry Level 3 or below for numeracy. This compares with a figure of 47 per cent. for England as a whole. If the North East's population is 2.6 million, this would mean that approximately 1.4 million people would have entry level 3 or below numeracy skills. 50 per cent. of respondents were at Entry Level 3 or below for Tyne and Wear LSC area.
	Available data show that between the launch of the Skills for Life strategy in April 2001 and July 2003, Learning and Skills Council funded learners in the North East achieved some 35,000 Skills for Life qualifications, 18,000 within the Tyne and Wear Learning and Skills Council area. These figures are in addition to achievements funded through the Offenders' Learning and Skills Unit and the Department for Work and Pensions.
	(b) The following table shows the proportion of working age 1 people (i) with no qualifications, (ii) qualified to level 2 and (iii) qualified to level 4. Figures are given for the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central Parliamentary Constituency Area (PCA), the Tyne and Wear local Learning and Skills Council (LSC) area, and the North East Government Office Region (GOR). Data comes from the Local Area Labour Force Surveys conducted annually from 1999–2000 to 2002–03.
	1 Working age population refers to males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59.
	
		
			  Qualification level (percentage) 1 
			 Geography No qualifications Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 and above Level 2 and above 
		
		
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central PCA  
			 Change from 1999–2000 -3 -1 +3 +9 +11 
			 2002–03 11 18 26 36 79 
			 2001–02 11 17 23 35 76 
			 2000–01 13 17 26 32 75 
			 1999–2000 13 19 23 27 69 
			   
			 Tyne and Wear LLSC  
			 Change from 1999–2000 -3 -1 +1 +4 +3 
			 2002–03 17 23 20 21 63 
			 2001–02 19 22 19 19 61 
			 2000–01 21 23 18 19 60 
			 1999–2000 20 24 19 17 60 
			   
			 North East GOR  
			 Change from 1999–2000 -3 0 +1 +3 +3 
			 2002–03 18 23 19 19 61 
			 2001–02 20 22 19 19 60 
			 2000–01 21 23 18 19 59 
			 1999–2000 21 23 19 17 58 
		
	
	(44) Numbers may not add up due to rounding.

Working Time Directive

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff at each grade in his Department have opted out of the Working Time Regulations; and what the average number of hours these staff work per week is.

Charles Clarke: My Department is committed to reducing the number of employees who work in excess of the Working Time Directive maximum to an absolute minimum. 64 staff have signed a formal opt out from the Working Time Directive. The following table shows the number of staff at each grade:
	
		
			 Grade Number 
		
		
			 Administrative Officer 7 
			 Executive Officer 22 
			 Higher Executive Officer 15 
			 Higher Executive Officer (Development) 2 
			 Senior Executive Officer 10 
			 Grade 7 7 
			 Senior Civil Service 1 
			 Total 64 
		
	
	The average number of hours that these staff work per week is not kept centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Book Selling

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effect of the ending of the Net Book Agreement in 1995 on (a) authors, (b) publishers and (c) booksellers; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: A recent report, "The Benefits from Competition: some Illustrative UK Cases" (available at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/economics/economics paper9. pdf), prepared for DTI by Professor Steve Davies of University of East Anglia and his team, explored the impact of removing the Net Book Agreement as one of six case studies on the impact of enhanced competition.
	The Davies Report concluded that the ending of the Net Book Agreement was largely beneficial as prices, at least for the more popular books fell, more channels to market have increased competition and access and choice of books, and the feared adverse side effects for small booksellers and book production did either not occur or were smaller scale than expected.

Book Selling

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the likely effect of the proposed removal of the Recommended Retail Price from book sleeves on (a) authors, (b) publishers and (c) booksellers; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: After consultation with industry, we are not aware of any proposals to remove the current system of displaying pricing on books.

Innovation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action the EU is taking to improve its policy on encouraging innovation.

Patricia Hewitt: The EU has been encouraging innovation within the framework of the Lisbon strategy. The EU Innovation Scoreboard (published each year www.cordis.lu/scoreboard/) shows progress against this. The European Commission has carried out a public consultation on its draft Innovation Action Plan (http://www.europa.eu.int) and a revised version is due to be published in November 2004. The EU's sixth Framework Programme already provides a mechanism for funding collaborative research and provides substantial financial support to support research activity aimed at improving the EU's innovation performance. The Commission has published a Communication (Com (2004) 353) on 16 June 2004 (www.cordis.lu) setting out its ideas for the seventh Framework Programme, due to start at the end of 2006 and the UK will endeavour to ensure that this is structured in ways which further reinforce the EU's support for innovation.

Age Discrimination

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to eliminate age discrimination in the workplace.

Jacqui Smith: The Government are preparing legislation outlawing unjustified age discrimination in employment and vocational training in accordance with the Employment Directive (2000/78/EC). This legislation will come into force on 1 October 2006. In addition, the Government are promoting the business benefits of an age diverse workforce through the Age Positive campaign. The campaign uses publications, research, press, events, awards initiatives and its website to get the message across. They also encourage employers to adopt the voluntary "Code of Practice: Age Diversity at Work, A Practical Guide for Business".

Age Discrimination

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what the Government's policy is on preventing age discrimination; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what the Government's policy is on (a) direct and (b) indirect discrimination by employers against the employment of workers over the age of 50.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	Through the Age Positive campaign the Government are combating age discrimination in the workplace. Age Positive is vigorously promoting the business benefits of an age diverse workforce by encouraging employers in both the public and private sector to adopt the voluntary Code of Practice: Age Diversity at Work, A Practical Guide for Business.
	The Age Positive campaign is promoted to employers and individuals through advertising, the website and press features in national, local and specialist publications. It features existing good practice by employer champions, research, and strongly promotes to employers at exhibitions and workshops. Age Positive awards help to widely publicise the achievements of businesses and individuals who overcome ageism in employment.
	Legislation will come into force to outlaw unfair discrimination on the grounds of age in employment and vocational training in 2006. We are currently developing proposals for draft legislation. This will cover both direct and indirect discrimination and will apply to all those in employment or vocational training and not just those aged 50 and over.
	As the White Paper 'Fairness for All' has outlined, the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) will provide institutional support for the provisions on age discrimination, working closely with partner organisations and key stakeholders to provide advice and assistance. The CEHR will be able to advise individuals of their rights under the legislation, and provide support for some people to bring their cases before the courts. In addition, the CEHR will have the powers to conduct an investigation into a named party where it has reasonable suspicion that the person is not complying with the statutory requirements of the age legislation. If unlawful discrimination or harassment is found, the CEHR will be able to require the discrimination to stop.

Age Discrimination

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how she expects the 2006 age discrimination legislation to be implemented; and which bodies will have responsibility for implementation.

Jacqui Smith: We will consult on regulations to outlaw age discrimination in employment and vocational training, which will come into force on 1 October 2006. The CEHR will enforce this legislation and promote awareness and best practice in relation to equality of opportunity for people of different ages more generally, providing information, advice and in some strategic cases, legal representation. The CEHR will not be fully operational until the end of 2006 at the earliest.

Biomass Energy Industry

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many planning applications for the construction of biomass power stations are being considered; and how many have been granted permission.

Stephen Timms: Proposals to construct and operate generating stations with a capacity greater than 50 megawatts (MW) in England and Wales require the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry's consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. No application has been made to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for consent to construct a biomass power station.
	Generating stations below 50 MW fall to be determined by the local planning authority under the normal planning regime.

Departmental Policies (Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East)

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency of her Department's policies and action since 8 June 2001.

Jacqui Smith: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) promotes a wide variety of areas' policies and are working with businesses, employees and consumers to drive up UK productivity and competitiveness to deliver prosperity to all. To achieve this the Department is involved in a number of regional programmes, with some being delivered through the Small Business Service (SBS), One North East and Business Links.
	Although Department for Trade and Industry policies as a whole lead to increased prosperity and competitiveness throughout the country it is not possible to assess their impact at an individual constituency level. Some examples of specific initiatives benefiting Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency are included in the information set out as follows:
	Business Support
	In his Budget statement the Chancellor announced a number of steps to help small businesses including an increase of capital allowances to 50 per cent. and raising VAT registration threshold to 58 per cent., all of which helps small businesses in your constituency. The Chancellor also announced that the Employer Training Pilot, run in Tyne and Wear for the last 15 months, would be made available to businesses throughout the north east. This will help businesses to improve workforce skills by providing training tailored to their needs.
	Since the spring of 2001, the Business Link has assisted a total of 1,397 businesses to increase productivity and wealth in the Redcar and Cleveland council area. These businesses have been helped in a wide variety of disciplines including workforce development, finance, marketing and regulation.
	In addition in the same area since the spring of 2002 316 businesses have been helped to start up. Business Link has helped would-be entrepreneurs to develop over 1,700 pre-start business ideas, stimulating an enhanced enterprise culture. From June 2001 to June 2004 190 Tees Valley Business Link customers have accessed a range of public funding (e.g. Innovation Action Fund and West Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Trust New Deal for Communities funding).
	From April 2002 to date in the Tees Valley area, 69 Department of Trade and Industry grants exceeding £14 million in total value have been awarded. These include Selective Finance for Investment in England—and its predecessors Enterprise Grant and Regional Selective Assistance (RSA)—and SMART. The projects being supported are expected to generate investment in excess of £138 million, creating over 1,600 jobs and safeguarding 695. These grants are administered by One North East and the Small Business Service on behalf of the Department for Trade and Industry.
	European Funding and Tees Valley
	In the north east, the European Social Fund Objective 3 Programme commenced in July 2000 and continues to 31 December 2007. The Programme funds organisations which seek to help individuals (employed and unemployed) to improve their skill levels and obtain employment. Funds can be accessed through co-financing organisations (CFOs) or through the Programme Secretariat. The Tees Valley Learning and Skills Council and Job Centre Plus are Co-Financing (CFO's) funded projects with a total value of £19 million. There is an additional £34 million available to support Co-Financing (CFO) projects in Tees Valley from 2004–07. Between 2001–04 under direct bidding arrangements projects from the Middlesbrough area received a total of £18.6 million.
	The North East of England Objective 2 Programme (2000–06) provides a total of £434 million in support in the north east. Within this £267.97 million is made up of £69.62 million in Priority 1 and £198.35 million in Priority 2 and is available for a wide range of business support activity including generic business support, technology and transfer access to finance. Tees Valley benefits from regional projects as well as those aimed directly at the sub-
	Cross Government coordination
	The Department for Trade and Industry has led the coordination of area specific initiatives with other Departments, such as the foot and mouth grants from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Farm Business Advisory Service and recently the targeted use of Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) support to increase the uptake of business support in the disadvantaged areas of east Cleveland.

ECGD

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Export Credits Guarantee Department's administration costs were in each of the last five financial years (a) in total and (b) broken down into (i) staff costs, (ii) accommodation costs, (iii) consultancy costs and (iv) IT costs.

Mike O'Brien: The following table lists ECGD's administration costs by year for the last five financial years.
	
		£000
		
			   Breakdown of administration costs 
			  Administration costs Staff costs Accommodation costs (rent) Consultancy costs IT costs Others 
		
		
			 1999–2000 23,218 13,548 1,506 515 3,516 4,133 
			 2000–01 27,746 14,136 3,152 758 4,377 5,323 
			 2001–02 29,371 15,523 3,262 628 5,403 4,555 
			 2002–03 26,546 14,022 3,373 1,031 4,388 3,732 
			 2003–04 30,226 14,806 3,645 833 5,676 5,266

ECGD

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what savings in administration costs the Export Credits Guarantee Department is required to achieve in 2005–06; and what the projected savings in such costs for the next five financial years are.

Mike O'Brien: DTI is to invest £10 million into ECGD over the two years from April 2005 to improve ECGD's efficiency and effectiveness (I refer you to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry's announcement about the future of ECGD on 1 July 2004, Official Report, column 22WS). The intention is that the cost savings achieved by ECGD during this period will be sufficient to ensure that the premium reduction of up to £5 million per annum can be sustained after April 2007.

ECGD

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether it is her practice to offer Export Credits Guarantee Department cover in Government to Government defence export and sales agreements; and what the total amount of cover outstanding on such agreements is.

Mike O'Brien: UK companies are eligible for support from ECGD under Government to Government contractual arrangements which could result in the UK company incurring a loss as a consequence of the overseas' Government's failure to pay.
	The total amount of cover outstanding in respect of Government to Government contracts underwritten after 1991 currently stand at around £1,060 million.

ECGD

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to what extent a capitalised trading fund will give the Export Credits Guarantee Department autonomy from HM Treasury and her Department.

Mike O'Brien: As a Trading Fund, ECGD will have greater operational freedom to manage its financial affairs.
	HM Treasury's future role will be more focused on strategic oversight, while the Shareholder Executive within the DTI will offer Ministers advice on aspects of the Department's corporate governance, financial targets and performance as a Trading Fund.

ECGD

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry under what terms the £10 million investment in the Export Credits Guarantee Department from her Department's shareholder executive can be spent; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The £10 million to be invested by the DTI over two years from April 2005 will be spent to improve the operational efficiency and effectiveness of ECGD. The intention is that the cost savings achieved will be used to ensure that the premium reduction of up to £5 million per annum (as detailed in the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry's Trading Fund announcement of 1 July 2004, Official Report, column 22WS) can be sustained after April 2007.
	ECGD's new Chief Executive is currently preparing a detailed plan for these cost reductions.

ECGD

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will estimate what the average reduction in the Export Credits Guarantee Department premium rates will be in (a) 2005–06 and (b) the subsequent five financial years; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: As my right hon. Friend , the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry announced on 1 July, Official Report, column 22WS, ECGD will seek to reduce its premium rates to customers by up to £5 million per annum from April 2005. This is around 6 per cent. of its current premium income.

ECGD

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the terms of reference of the Export Credits Guarantee Department business plan are.

Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry's announcement of 1 July 2004, Official Report, column 22WS, is the basis of the terms of reference for ECGD's business plan. The plan will explain how ECGD will meet the key aims and objectives for the ECGD Trading Fund set out in that statement.

Eco-Labelling

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her Department's policy is on the European eco-label.

Stephen Timms: The Government have played a full part in building up this scheme at EU level and we fully support the aims of this high-quality voluntary label, which helps to promote products with genuinely lower environmental impacts.
	Defra administers the scheme in the UK and consults the DTI on matters such as the proposed technical criteria for the product groups covered by the scheme. Defra also consults other Departments and the Devolved Administrations, as well as business and other stakeholders. It has publicised the scheme in a number of ways, including currently an electronic newsletter for business about the use of environmental claims and labelling, and a free guide to consumers about reliable green labels.

Employment Protection

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to expand employment protection to those aged 65 years and over.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The great majority of employment protection legislation already applies to workers aged 65 and over. We are reviewing upper age limits on statutory redundancy payments and general unfair dismissal claims in the light of responses to the public consultation on age discrimination carried out last year.

English Partnerships

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what total tonnage of hazardous waste was (a) treated and (b) disposed of by English Partnerships projects in each of the last five years; what tonnage in each year was (i) consigned to landfill and (ii) decontaminated through onsite remediation; and what the projected tonnages are for 2004–05 in each case.

Keith Hill: I have been asked to reply.
	English Partnerships does not itself record the tonnages of materials—hazardous or otherwise—treated or disposed of from projects where it has a core interest. To collate such information from records maintained by partner regional development agencies (who usually lead on coalfields projects) and contractors across the country could only be achieved at a disproportionate cost.
	However, a sense of the scale of activity involved may be drawn from the following estimated numbers of projects contributing to EP's "area of land reclaimed" outputs in each of the last five years. The bulk of activity is through EP's well developed business and projects in the National Coalfields Programme and land reclamation works for sites in the Urban Regenaration Companies' and Millennium Communities' areas.
	
		
			  No. of projects involving treatment of disposal of hazardous/contaminated material in any given year(45) 
			 Year National Coalfields Programme Other projects 
		
		
			 1999–00 19 1 
			 2000–01 25 0 
			 2001–02 17 0 
			 2002–03 15 1 
			 2003–04 10 5 
		
	
	(45) For most sites remediation works carry over a number of years and will therefore appear more than once in the totals.
	These totals are expected to increase in 2004–05 and beyond as EP's involvement in large scale brownfield site assembly increases in line with its business focus as set out in the Sustainable Communities Plan.

Enterprise Insight

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets have been set by her Department for the number of new start up small businesses which will be created with help from Enterprise Insight.

Nigel Griffiths: Enterprise Insight has a target of raising enterprise awareness amongst the 14–25 age group, measured by survey before and after Enterprise Week.

Enterprise Insight

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the (a) objectives and (b) organisational structure of Enterprise Insight.

Nigel Griffiths: Enterprise Insight is fostering an entrepreneurial spirit in the UK, by stimulating and encouraging enterprise attitudes, culture and values primarily in young people and those who influence them.
	Enterprise Insight was created in 2000 as a company limited by guarantee. The three founder members are: the British chambers of commerce, the Institute of Directors and the CBI. The Federation of Small Businesses is also a member.
	An advisory board provides guidance on Enterprise Insight's operations and campaign functions. Members of the advisory board include some of the UK's principal enterprise education and awareness delivery organisations.

Environmental Business Growth Action Programme

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many projects have been funded under the Environmental Business Growth Action Programme by regional development agencies in (a) England and (b) the West Midlands.

Jacqui Smith: The Environmental Business Growth Action Plan is administered by the Environment Agency and is restricted to supporting SMEs in the eligible West Midlands Objective 2 area. Through European Structural Funds the Action Plan has supported four projects with a total value of some £5.4 million:
	Groundwork UK 'Bridge-It';
	Technology and Innovation Centre 'Enviroinnovate';
	EBG Action Plan Measure 1.4; and
	EBG Action Plan Measure 1.11.

Equal Opportunities/Pay

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what mechanisms her Department has put in place to monitor (a) sex discrimination, (b) race discrimination, (c) disability discrimination and (d) unfair dismissal affecting her Department's staff; and if she will make a statement on her Department's performance in promoting equal opportunities within (i) her Department and (ii) the bodies for which it is responsible.

Patricia Hewitt: As an equal opportunities employer, my Department regularly monitors all processes and policies to identify any potential sex, race or disability discrimination. Mechanisms include collection, publication and discussion of equality data; training for human resources staff; frequent consultation with staff equality groups; and involvement of the DTI Equality and Diversity team in HR policy and process development.
	All departmental procedures that may lead to dismissal comply fully with the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance procedures. The procedures include the opportunity for an individual to appeal against their dismissal to a senior officer within the Department, to the civil service appeal board and at an employment tribunal. Dismissals, and the outcome of any related appeals, are monitored at a senior level.
	Good progress is being made in promoting equal opportunities within the Department while our priorities for future action are laid out in our Diversity Strategic Plan.

Equal Opportunities/Pay

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information the Government have collated on the percentage of (a) public and (b) private sector organisations which have committed to carry out equal pay reviews.

Patricia Hewitt: The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) commissioned Incomes Data Services to carry out research on equal pay reviews. Their findings were published in the EOC's report 'Monitoring Progress on equal pay reviews' in March 2004. The report concluded that 57 per cent. of public sector organisations had conducted, were in the process of conducting, or had plans to conduct an equal pay review by the end of 2004. This compares with 31 per cent. of private sector organisations.

Equal Opportunities/Pay

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information the Government have collated on the percentage of public sector organisations which have (a) committed to and (b) declined to carry out equal pay reviews.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) commissioned Incomes Data Services to carry out research on equal pay reviews. Their findings were published in the EOC's report 'Monitoring Progress on equal pay reviews' in March 2004. The report concluded that 57 per cent. of public sector organisations had conducted, were in the process of conducting, or had plans to conduct an equal pay review by the end of 2004. It was found that 32 per cent. had no plans to conduct an equal pay review. As pay reviews are voluntary, there is no mechanism for recording organisations who have 'declined' to carry out an equal pay review.

Equal Opportunities/Pay

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information the Government have collated on the percentage of (a) public sector and (b) private sector organisations with over 500 employees which have carried out equal pay reviews.

Patricia Hewitt: The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) commissioned Incomes Data Services to carry out research on equal pay reviews. Their findings were published in the EOC's report 'Monitoring Progress on equal pay reviews' in March 2004. The report concluded that:
	(a) 20 per cent. of public sector organisations with 500 employees and over had carried out an equal pay review; and
	(b) 13 per cent. of private sector organisations with 500 employees and over had carried out an equal pay review.

Equal Opportunities/Pay

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information the Government have collated on the percentage of (a) public sector and (b) private sector organisations with less than 500 employees which have carried out equal pay reviews.

Patricia Hewitt: The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) commissioned Incomes Data Services to carry out research on equal pay reviews. Their findings were published in the EOC's report 'Monitoring Progress on equal pay reviews' in March 2004. The following table summarises their findings in relation to the percentage of public sector and private sector organisations with less than 500 employees, which have carried out equal pay reviews.
	
		
			  Number of employees Percentage completed equal pay reviews 
		
		
			 Private sector 25–99 15 
			  100–499 17 
			  25–499 16 
			 Public sector 100–499 13 
			  25–499 15

Equal Opportunities/Pay

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information the Government have collated on the percentage of (a) public sector organisations and (b) private sector organisations which have carried out equal pay reviews.

Patricia Hewitt: The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) commissioned Incomes Data Services to carry out research on equal pay reviews. Their findings were published in the EOC's report 'Monitoring Progress on equal pay reviews' in March 2004. The report concluded that 18 per cent. of public sector organisations and 14 per cent. of private sector organisations had carried out an equal pay review.

Equal Opportunities/Pay

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Government's policy is on tackling occupational segregation in relation to the gender pay gap; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Occupational segregation has been identified as one of the key causes of the gender pay gap. We know that women are concentrated in just two industrial sectors within low-paid occupations. Men in comparison are spread much more evenly across the labour market in typically higher-paid occupations. They also typically hold more senior positions within the labour market than women.
	The Government aims to break down the barriers of occupational segregation as part of a raft of measures to tackle the pay gap. It aims to increase young women's awareness of the importance of education and career choices; address the problems women face getting access to appropriate training or re-skilling and inform employers about their potential in various male-dominated sectors such as information technology, engineering and science.
	We have set up Sector Skills Councils and Learning and Skills Councils to address industry specific training needs and to broaden post-16 learning opportunities. These are addressing occupational segregation issues through various research and initiatives. E-skills Sector Skills Council for example launched initiatives in the South East such as 'Go 4 IT' workshops, Computer Clubs for Girls and IT Beat, to challenge girls' perceptions of Information Technology (IT). These target schools and young teen publications after a 2001 MORI poll found girls formed negative images of IT between 11 to 13-years-old.
	Other examples of government initiatives include: A new Science Engineering and Technology (SET) resource centre to be set up aimed at working with SET employers; raising the profile of women in SET; funding pilot schemes such as mentoring and networking; and providing help for SET women returners.
	The government are also taking an active interest in the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), general formal investigation (GFI) into occupational segregation and the correlation with skills and pay gaps in the UK. The report is due in the autumn and will inform government policy in this area.

Equal Opportunities/Pay

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans the Government has to change legislation on equal pay; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government is continuing to take action to improve the way equal pay legislation works in practice. From 1 October 2004, subject to Parliamentary approval, we shall be introducing changes to the way in which employment tribunals deal with the complex equal value cases. The aim is to streamline tribunal procedures and help to prevent very long running cases. The key features of the new procedures include the early exchange of information, the use of tribunals with specialist knowledge and new case management powers.
	We also intend to amend the Equal Pay Act to remove the "no reasonable grounds" defence in section 2A(1)(b) of the Equal Pay Act 1970 and limit the circumstances in which a tribunal could refuse to consider an equal value claim. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the legislation is due to come into effect on 1 October 2004, at the same time as new tribunal procedures for equal value cases. These form part of a wider package of measures to speed up and simplify equal pay cases, such as amendments that were made to the Equal Pay Act in 2003 to introduce the Equal Pay Questionnaire, and make changes to time limits and payment of arrears.

Equal Opportunities/Pay

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Government's policy is on the promotion of equal pay.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government continues to lead the way in undertaking equal pay reviews. We believe that the best way to achieve lasting change is through working alongside the business community, employers, trade unions and the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) to drive forward action on equal pay and to promote voluntary pay reviews. We have toughened our equal pay review target to 45 per cent. of large organisations having carried out equal pay reviews by 2008.
	The EOC published a revised Code of Practice on Equal Pay, which recommends equal pay reviews as the best way of ensuring that a pay system delivers equal pay. By helping employers to check the pay gap in their organisation and by encouraging good equal pay practice, the Code reinforces the Government's commitment to promoting equal pay and closing the gender pay gap.
	In addition to pay discrimination, occupational segregation has been identified as another cause of the gender pay gap and the Government is putting in place a range of educational and employment measures to address this. The EOC is conducting an investigation into occupational segregation and we await the results of this with interest.
	The Government has provided funding to the EOC to prepare a model for voluntary pay reviews and have also provided funding to trade unions to train representatives in equal pay issues in the workplace. Over 400 representatives have now been trained and as a result a number of unions and employers are now carrying out joint training on how to do an equal pay review.

Equal Opportunities/Pay

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Government's policy is on implementing the recommendations in the Equal Opportunities Commission's 2002 Equal Pay Task Force Report; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government welcomed the Equal Opportunities Commission's (EOC) Equal Pay Task Force report in 2001 as a springboard for action to tackle the gender pay gap. It remains our belief that the best way to achieve lasting change is through working alongside the business community, employers, trade unions and the EOC to drive forward action on equal pay and to promote voluntary pay reviews. This is being reinforced by a Government target of 45 per cent. of large organisations to undertake pay reviews by April 2008.
	The Government have continued to lead the way in undertaking pay reviews. All Government departments and agencies, have now completed pay reviews and submitted action plans. Recent figures from the EOC show that 45 per cent. of large employers had completed an equal pay review, were in the process of completing one or were planning to do so in 2004. Among those that had carried out a pay review or were planning to do one, 41 per cent. said that government policy and publicity had influenced them.
	We provided funding to the EOC to prepare a model for voluntary pay reviews, including a separate system for small businesses, and these were produced in 2002 and 2003.
	The Government are also encouraging voluntary pay reviews by funding the TUC's Equal Pay Partnership Project. The project aims include: setting up a panel of recognised experts in the field of equal pay who have the confidence of both employers and unions; encouraging companies and organisations to undertake voluntary equal pay reviews; offering technical support to unions and employers; and building on the TUC Equal Pay project which has trained over 400 union equal pay representatives from government funding of £295,000.
	We are working with the EOC to promote pay reviews in specific sectors. The Government also welcomes the EOC's investigation into modern apprenticeships and the concentration of men and women in different professions. An interim report was published in May 2004.
	As regards legal change, in April 2003 the Equal Pay Act was enhanced with changes to time limits and payment of pay arrears, and amendments so that the statutory questionnaire procedure for discrimination claims can apply to equal pay claims. The EOC produced a revised statutory Code of Practice on equal pay which was laid in Parliament and came into force in December 2003. From October 2004, subject to Parliamentary approval, we shall be introducing changes to the way in which Employment Tribunals deal with complex cases involving the question of whether jobs are of equal value. We also intend to amend the Equal Pay Act to remove the 'no reasonable grounds' defence in section 2A(1)(b) of the Equal Pay At 1970 to limit the circumstances in which a tribunal could refuse to consider an equal value claim.

Equal Opportunities/Pay

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many pay discrimination lawsuits have been filed each year since 1997, broken down by region.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following table shows the number of pay discrimination applications that have been registered with the Employment Tribunals Service since 1997. A regional breakdown of pay discrimination cases could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Main jurisdiction 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,845 
			 1998–99 5,018 
			 1999–2000 2,391 
			 2000–01 6,586 
			 2001–02 5,314 
			 2002–03 3,077 
			 2003–04 3,217

Equal Opportunities/Pay

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many pay discrimination lawsuits on the grounds of gender discrimination have been filed in each year since 1997, broken down by region.

Patricia Hewitt: The following table shows the number of equal pay applications that have been registered with the Employment Tribunals Service since 1997. A regional breakdown of equal pay cases could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Main jurisdiction 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,845 
			 1998–99 5,018 
			 1999–2000 2,391 
			 2000–01 6,586 
			 2001–02 5,314 
			 2002–03 3,077 
			 2003–04 3,217

Equal Opportunities/Pay

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate the Government have made of the average length of time taken to process pay discrimination lawsuits in the last period for which figures are available.

Patricia Hewitt: The Employment Tribunals Service (ETS) does not report on the average length of time taken to process applications made to the Service. However, ETS has a target of 85 per cent. for cases to come to a first hearing within 26 weeks of an application being received. In 2003–04 75 per cent. of pay discrimination cases which went before a Tribunal (i.e. were not settled or withdrawn) achieved this target.

Equal Opportunities/Pay

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate the Government has made of the cost to businesses of pay discrimination lawsuits in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The DTI has not made an estimate of the cost to business of equal pay claims to employment tribunal, which comprise about 3 per cent. of all Tribunal cases.
	The Department and the Employment Tribunal Service carried out a sample survey of employment tribunal claims—the Survey of Employment Tribunal Applications 2003. But there were not enough equal pay claims in the sample to allow a reliable estimate of the costs to business of equal pay claims in the period, or to extrapolate to other years.
	The survey of employment tribunal applications contains a sample of all discrimination cases in 2002–03—race, sex, disability and equal pay claims—which would be large enough to allow an estimate of the average cost to business of such discrimination claims. This average mean cost has been calculated as £5.813. However, this estimate would not be representative of the cost to business of equal pay claims, since equal pay claims tend to be of longer duration than the average discrimination claim. Nor, on the other hand, would it include the lower costs of the many cases that are settled, for example there were 578 ACAS conciliated settlements of equal pay cases in 2003–04.

European Space Agency

Richard Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much in pounds sterling she calculates has been under-returned to the UK over the last four years under the funding agreement with the European Space Agency.

Patricia Hewitt: The European Space Agency (ESA) began a new set of return statistics on 1 January 2000. The cumulative UK under-return for the four years 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2003 was €41.2 million (£29 million). At 31 December 1999 when the earlier set of ESA return statistics were terminated, UK over-return stood at €94.0 million (£66 million). The British National Space Centre is working closely with ESA officials to ensure that the return requirements for the UK as set out in the ESA Convention are fully met.

Flexible Working

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the percentage of employees who work some form of flexible working arrangement in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Labour Force Survey, conducted by the Office for National Statistics, asks respondents about their agreed work arrangement. The number of employees who reported that they work some form of flexible working (defined as part-time, flexitime, annualised hours, term time working, job sharing, compressed working week, zero hours contract) was 41.0 per cent. in 2001, 41.5 per cent. in 2002 and 42.0 per cent. in 2003. If the definition of flexible working is narrowed to exclude part-time working, the respective figures are 21.6 per cent. in 2001, 22.0 per cent. in 2002 and 22.4 per cent. in 2003. Figures for 2004 will be available in early 2005.

Flexible Working

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the demand for flexible working patterns; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The DTI has collected evidence on the demand for flexible working patterns from a number of sources. The first DTI Flexible Working Employee Survey was carried out between September 2003 and February 2004. The survey indicated that 13 per cent. of all employees had requested a flexible working pattern since April 2003. The percentage of employees with children aged under six years who requested a flexible working pattern (and for whom their employer is legally obliged to consider the request) was higher, at 24 per cent. Of all employees who requested flexible working arrangements, 38 per cent. requested to change to a part-time working arrangement; 25 per cent. requested flexi-time; 13 per cent. requested reduced hours for a limited time; 10 per cent. requested to work from home on a regular basis and 8 per cent. requested a compressed working week.
	The second Work-Life Balance Study—employees' survey, carried out during January and February 2003, asked employees whether they worked particular flexible working patterns. If they did not (or had not in the past year), they were then asked whether they would like to. Table 1 shows the percentages of these employees who said they would like to take up particular flexible working practices.
	
		Table 1: Demand for specific flexible working practices
		
			 Flexible working practice Percentage who would like to take up the flexible working practice 
		
		
			 Work part time 22 
			 Work only during school term time(46) 33 
			 Job-share 17 
			 Work flexitime 49 
			 Work a compressed working week 34 
			 Work annualised hours 25 
			 Work reduced hours for a limited period 36 
			 Work from home on a regular basis 29 
		
	
	(46) In addition, representative of employees with dependent children aged under 19 (base: 747 employees).
	Note:
	All percentages are representative of employees who have not used the particular flexible working practice in past year with current employer (base: >1,463 employees).
	Source:
	Palmer, T. (2004) Results of the first Flexible Working Employee Survey. Employment Relations Occasional Papers, DTI.
	Both the results of the first Flexible Working Employee Survey and the Work Life Balance study reports, which provide greater analysis, are available at http://www.dti.gov.uk/er/inform.htm under 'EMAR Publications'. Both surveys are to be repeated, with the second Flexible Working Employee Survey expected to be available in 2005; the third Work-Life Balance study is due to be conducted in early 2006.

Fraud

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research her Department has commissioned on fraud in large businesses; and what measures she has taken to prevent such fraud in the UK.

Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not commissioned any research into fraud in large businesses. But the Department has engaged in a considerable range of activity post Enron as the Secretary of State announced to the House on 29 January 2003 in a speech on strengthening corporate governance.
	A number of those measures are now taken forward in the Companies (Audit, Investigations and Enterprise) Bill which is currently before Parliament. The Bill amends the current regime for investigating companies. It contains provisions giving investigators a new power to get relevant information from anyone and strengthening their document-gathering powers, while retaining the existing protection for legally privileged material and banking confidentiality. There is also a provision giving investigators the power to require entry to, and remain on, a company's business premises without obtaining a warrant. This will make it easier to require documents and other information and to see the business in operation.
	The Bill will also increase the independence of the regulation of the audit profession and give the independent regulator, the Financial Reporting Council, the powers and resources it needs to do its job more effectively. Further the Bill will enable company auditors to carry out their duties more effectively by entitling the auditor to require information and explanations from a wider group of people than at present, in particular from employees.
	The Financial Reporting Review Panel will be given a power to require companies to provide it with the information it needs to carry out its investigations. This body currently reviews the annual accounts and reports of public and large private UK companies. The Bill will allow the Government to extend this to reviewing the interim reports of listed companies. The FRRP will also take a more proactive approach to enforcement.
	I would also like to draw the hon. Member's attention to the proposal by the Home Office to establish the Serious Organised Crime Agency. This body will be part of a comprehensive strategy to target organised criminals. It will exploit hi-tech 21st century technology to uncover the new wave of crime bosses whose lucrative illegal enterprises range from drug trafficking and people smuggling through to fraud and money laundering.
	The Government has recently completed a consultation on legislation to reform the law of fraud. The Government proposals for change are based mainly on the Law Commission Report on Fraud published in 2002. The main proposal is for the general offence of fraud which can be committed in three different ways: by false representation, by wrongfully failing to disclose information, or by abuse of office. In each case the behaviour must be dishonest, and must aim at securing a gain for the defendant or a loss for another.
	Additionally the Government sought the views of business and other interested parties on the best means of creating and maintaining effective partnerships to reduce opportunities for crime against business and to enhance the contribution that business could make to crime reduction in England and Wales.

Gershon Review

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the estimated savings are from the efficient devolution of business support products from the Central Department to the regional development agencies as part of Sir Peter Gershon's efficiency review into public services.

Jacqui Smith: As stated in Peter Gershon's report on his independent review of public sector efficiency "Releasing Resources to the Front Line", the Regional Development Agencies have agreed to deliver 2.5 per cent. efficiencies per year in the Spending Review period, at least half of which will be cash-releasing back into the Single Programme budget, which brings together allocations from all the Departments that fund them. DTI as the lead sponsor Department, will work with the Regional Development Agencies to identify further efficiencies where possible. The Regional Development Agencies will be expected to identify efficiencies in delivering on the additional responsibilities that have been devolved to them. These additional responsibilities include the delivery of regional and local Business Link services and the grant for Research and Development. The Regional Development Agencies will report to my Department on how these savings are to be achieved.

Inward Investment

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much inward investment the East Midlands has received from (a) Germany, (b) Sweden, (c) France, (d) USA, (e) Canada, (f) Singapore, (g) India, (h) Australia and (i) Belgium in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: Since 1997 UK Trade and Investment recorded the following number of inward investment projects from Germany, Sweden, France, USA, Canada, Singapore, India, Australia and Belgium to invest in the East Midlands region. Figures for 1997–98 to 2002–03 have been updated since the publication of our Annual Reports that have been laid in the Libraries of the House in each financial year.
	These figures are based on information provided by companies at the time of the announcement of the decision to invest in the UK. The figures take no account of subsequent developments.
	There is no requirement to notify UKTI and so the figures include only those projects where UKTI's Inward Investment Group and its regional partners were involved or which have come to their notice.
	
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Germany 1 0 4 2 1 4 3 
			 Sweden 1 0 0 1 3 0 0 
			 France 0 0 5 0 0 3 2 
			 USA 9 9 8 8 11 11 14 
			 Canada 0 0 2 0 1 2 0 
			 Singapore 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 India 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Australia 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Belgium 0 1 1 0 0 0 1

Inward Investment

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much inward investment the region of Yorkshire and the Humber received from (a) Japan and (b) China in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: Since 1997 UK Trade and Investment recorded the following number of inward investment projects from Japan and China to invest in the Yorkshire and Humberside region. Figures for 1997–98 to 2002–03 have been updated since the publication of our Annual Reports that have been laid in the Libraries of the House in each financial year.
	These figures are based on information provided by companies at the time of the announcement of the decision to invest in the UK. The figures take no account of subsequent developments.
	There is no requirement to notify UKTI and so the figures include only those projects where UKTI's Inward Investment Group and its regional partners were involved or which have come to their notice.
	
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Japan 0 5 1 1 3 2 2 
			 China 3 1 1 0 2 0 0

Inward Investment

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much inward investment the West Midlands has received from (a) France, (b) Germany, (c) Sweden, (d) Belgium, (e) USA, (f) Canada, (g) Japan, (h) Singapore, (i) India and (j) Australia in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: Since 1997 UK Trade and Investment recorded the following number of inward investment projects from France, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, USA, Canada, Japan, Singapore, India and Australia to invest in the West Midlands region. Figures for 1997–98 to 2002–03 have been updated since the publication of our annual reports that have been laid in the Libraries of the House in each financial year.
	These figures are based on information provided by companies at the time of the announcement of the decision to invest in the UK. The figures take no account of subsequent developments.
	There is no requirement to notify UKTI and so the figures include only those projects where UKTI's Inward Investment Group and its regional partners were involved or which have come to their notice.
	
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 France 7 5 8 14 8 4 7 
			 Germany 11 12 13 17 6 4 9 
			 Sweden 2 0 2 4 1 0 0 
			 Belgium 1 1 0 3 3 0 0 
			 USA 33 33 48 31 42 18 17 
			 Canada 5 5 6 6 7 8 5 
			 Japan 9 6 11 4 7 2 11 
			 Singapore 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 India 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 
			 Australia 0 1 1 2 3 4 1

Inward Investment

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much inward investment the South West of England received from (a) Japan and (b) USA in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: Since 1997 UK Trade and Investment recorded the following number of inward investment projects from Japan and USA to invest in the South West region. Figures for 1997–98 to 2002–03 have been updated since the publication of our annual reports that have been laid in the Libraries of the House in each financial year. These figures are based on information provided by companies at the time of the announcement of the decision to invest in the UK. The figures take no account of subsequent developments.
	There is no requirement to notify UKTI and so the figures include only those projects where UKTI's Inward Investment Group and its regional partners were involved or which have come to their notice.
	
		
			  Japan USA 
		
		
			 1997–98 0 9 
			 1998–99 0 8 
			 1999–2000 10 13 
			 2000–01 5 20 
			 2001–02 6 14 
			 2002–03 7 8 
			 2003–04 4 19

Inward Investment

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much inward investment the South East of England received from (a) Belgium, (b) USA, (c) Germany, (d) China, (e) South Korea, (f) Japan and (g) Australia in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: Since 1997 UK Trade and Investment recorded the following number of inward investment projects from Belgium, USA, Germany, China, South Korea, Japan and Australia to invest in the South East region. Figures for 1997–98 to 2002–03 have been updated since the publication of our annual reports that have been laid in the Libraries of the House in each financial year.
	These figures are based on information provided by companies at the time of the announcement of the decision to invest in the UK. The figures take no account of subsequent developments.
	There is no requirement to notify UKTI and so the figures include only those projects where UKTI's Inward Investment Group and its regional partners were involved or which have come to their notice.
	
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Belgium 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 
			 USA 33 40 64 107 69 67 62 
			 Germany 5 3 7 13 12 3 4 
			 China 0 0 0 3 1 1 1 
			 S. Korea 0 0 1 1 1 3 5 
			 Japan 5 6 4 10 3 4 2 
			 Australia 0 2 1 1 2 1 5

Inward Investment

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much inward investment the North East of England received from (a) China, (b) Japan, (c) South Korea, (d) Taiwan, (e) Australia, (f) the USA and (g) Belgium in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: Since 1997 UK Trade and Investment recorded the following number of inward investment projects from China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, USA and Belgium to invest in the North East region. Figures for 1997–98 to 2002–03 have been updated since the publication of our annual reports that have been laid in the Libraries of the House in each financial year.
	These figures are based on information provided by companies at the time of the announcement of the decision to invest in the UK. The figures take no account of subsequent developments.
	There is no requirement to notify UKTI and so the figures include only those projects where UKTI's Inward Investment Group and its regional partners were involved or which have come to their notice.
	
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 China 0 0 0 9 9 13 11 
			 Japan 7 5 6 4 6 5 7 
			 S. Korea 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 
			 Taiwan 4 2 2 0 2 1 1 
			 Australia 0 1 0 0 3 1 1 
			 USA 21 13 18 9 13 13 10 
			 Belgium 0 1 0 0 3 0 0

Inward Investment

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much inward investment the North West of England received from (a) Japan, (b) USA and (c) Belgium in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: Since 1997 UK Trade and Investment recorded the following number of inward investment projects from Japan, USA and Belgium to invest in the North West region. Figures for 1997–98 to 2002–03 have been updated since the publication of our annual reports that have been laid in the Libraries of the House in each financial year.
	These figures are based on information provided by companies at the time of the announcement of the decision to invest in the UK. The figures take no account of subsequent developments.
	There is no requirement to notify UKTI and so the figures include only those projects where UKTI's Inward Investment Group and its regional partners were involved or which have come to their notice.
	
		
			  Japan USA Belgium 
		
		
			 1997–98 5 39 2 
			 1998–99 4 37 3 
			 1999–2000 5 42 2 
			 2000–01 2 16 3 
			 2001–02 1 14 0 
			 2002–03 6 27 2 
			 2003–04 5 21 1

Inward Investment

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much inward investment London received from Belgium in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: Since 1997 UK Trade and Investment recorded the following number of inward investment projects from Belgium to invest in the London region. Figures for 1997–98 to 2002–03 have been updated since the publication of our Annual Reports that have been laid in the Libraries of the House in each financial year.
	These figures are based on information provided by companies at the time of the announcement of the decision to invest in the UK. The figures take no account of subsequent developments.
	There is no requirement to notify UKTI and so the figures include only those projects where UKTI's Inward Investment Group and its regional partners were involved or which have come to their notice.
	
		
			  Belgium 
		
		
			 1997–98 0 
			 1998–99 1 
			 1999–2000 3 
			 2000–01 1 
			 2001–02 1 
			 2002–03 0 
			 2003–04 0

Inward Investment

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much inward investment the East of England received from (a) USA, (b) Belgium and (c) China in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: Since 1997 UK Trade and Investment recorded the following number of inward investment projects from USA, Belgium and China to invest in the eastern region. Figures for 1997–98 to 2002–03 have been updated since the publication of our Annual Reports that have been laid in the Libraries of the House in each financial year. These figures are based on information provided by companies at the time of the announcement of the decision to invest in the UK. The figures take no account of subsequent developments.
	There is no requirement to notify UKTI and so the figures include only those projects where UKTI's Inward Investment Group and its regional partners were involved or which have come to their notice.
	
		
			  USA Belgium China 
		
		
			 1997–98 23 0 0 
			 1998–99 25 1 0 
			 1999–2000 17 0 0 
			 2000–01 21 1 0 
			 2001–02 28 0 0 
			 2002–03 11 1 0 
			 2003–04 25 3 1

Inward Investment

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how the Government measures inward investment.

Mike O'Brien: The Government measure Inward Investment in two ways.
	Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) statistics are collected and published by Office of National Statistics (ONS). FDI is a financial measure collected primarily to measure balance of payments, and internationally comparable statistics are published by the statistical offices of other countries and by international bodies.
	Information on the number of projects and jobs created by region of investment and country of origin are recorded by UKTI based on information provided by companies at the time of the decision to invest in the UK. There is no requirement to notify UKTI, so only those projects where UKTI and its regional partners were involved, or which have come to their notice will be recorded.
	Information on inward investment is also available from a range of commercial sources.

Iraq

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate her Department has made of the total value to date of the contracts awarded to British businesses in Iraq since the start of the occupation.

Patricia Hewitt: British companies are not obliged to give details of contracts won and there is no central organisation that publishes such information. However, It is estimated that to date, British companies are involved in contracts for reconstruction and other work in Iraq to the value of US $2.6 billion.

Low Pay Commission

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are employed by the Low Pay Commission.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Low Pay Commission has nine Commissioners, including the Chairman.
	The Commission is supported by a Secretariat which currently has 10 members of staff plus one vacancy.

Low Pay Commission

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the annual salaries are of each of the commissioners on the Low Pay Commission.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Commissioners on the Low Pay Commission do not receive an annual salary. Remuneration is paid on the basis of a daily attendance fee, which is set at £481.06 for the chair and £213.80 for other members of the commission. In addition appropriate expenses are reimbursed.

Low Pay Commission

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total annual resource budget for the Low Pay Commission has been since its inception.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Low Pay Commission (LPC) was established as a result of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998. 1998/99 was the first financial year that the LPC were fully operational. The table below sets out the financial information for the LPC since that date:
	
		
			 Financial Year Expenditure (£000) 
		
		
			 1998–99 627,000 
			 1999–2000 578,737 
			 2000–01 605,751 
			 2001–02 531,710 
			 2002–03 771,032 
			 2003–04 658,631 
		
	
	The above figures are total costs and include salaries, Commissioners fees, research and Travel and Subsistence.

Low Pay Commission

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total wage budget is for the Low Pay Commission.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The total wage bill for the Low Pay Commission secretariat in 2003/04 was £401,725.

Mandatory Retirement Ages

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to abolish mandatory retirement ages.

Jacqui Smith: The Government are committed to prohibiting age discrimination at work and encouraging more flexibility around retirement. In some circumstances, different treatment on grounds of age can be justifiable, and last year's Age Matters consultation set out some of the issues. We are in the process of considering the best way of tackling retirement ages in the light of the responses to the consultation. Legislation will come into force on 1 October 2006.

Manufacturing Advisory Service

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which firms have been helped by the Manufacturing Advisory Service in the (a) Northern Region, (b) Tees Valley area and (c) Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency; and which of those firms were given advice on added value.

Jacqui Smith: The regional centre of the Manufacturing Advisory Service in the North East (MAS-NE) dealt with 1,323 inquiries from manufacturing companies in the period June 2002 to June 2004. Of these, 1,257 inquiries came from companies based in the North East region, 304 were from companies based in the Tees Valley, and seven were from companies in the Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency. 146 companies who contacted MAS-NE in this period have gone on to receive in-depth help. The direct impact of this help on company productivity is measured by the "added value". The total added value generated as a result of MAS-NE interventions stood at just over £705, 000 at March 2004.
	The names of all companies that have received in-depth assistance from MAS are given in the MAS 2004 Annual Report, which can be found at: www.dti.gov.uk

National Institute for Medical Research

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions have taken place with (a) University College London and (b) King's College London concerning the future site of the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR); what consideration was given by the Medical Research Council's Task Force on the NIMR to locating it at other institutions (i) in London and (ii) outside London; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The Task Force set up by the Medical Research Council (MRC) to consider the future of the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) has, following national and international consultation, published its vision for the institute: a multidisciplinary biomedical research facility focused on basic and translational research. The Task Force strongly believes that partnership and co-location with a leading university and hospital would strengthen NIMR to deliver its renewed vision and will enhance:
	the multidisciplinary nature of NIMR's work, providing access to other biologists, physical scientists, engineers and mathematicians; and
	opportunities to collaborate more closely with clinicians and strengthen the focus on translational research.
	The Task Force wishes to keep the critical mass of NIMR's existing excellent science as a foundation for the institute's future scientific portfolio and invited four institutions—Imperial College, King's College London, Queen Mary and University College London to submit partnership proposals. It also asked NIMR management to submit a proposal. All attended a meeting of the Task Force on 21 June for discussion.
	The Task Force has recommended that the renewed institute should be co-located with either King's College London or University College London and was expected to produce a full report to the MRC Council meeting on 29 July 2004.

National Minimum Wage

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many workers in Great Yarmouth have benefited from the national minimum wage.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It is not possible to provide estimates specifically for the constituency of Great Yarmouth. However, based on the Office for National Statistics' Low Pay data released in 2003, the DTI estimates that around 90,000 people in the eastern region stood to benefit from the introduction of the national minimum wage in April 1999. Between 80,000 and 90,000 people were expected to have benefited from the October 2003 uprating of the national minimum wage.

NCP (Communications)

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list (a) letters, (b) e-mails, (c) telephone calls and (d) meetings between her Department's officials, including the National Contact Point (NCP), and representatives of companies whose dossiers were forwarded to the NCP for investigation or monitoring in the last 12 months.

Stephen Timms: The information requested forms part of the dialogue process between the companies and the NCP. This process is confidential under Exemption 13—Third Party Commercial Confidences, and Exemption 14—Information Given in Confidence of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. The NCP will make a public statement at the end of the dialogue.
	A statement has already been issued on the allegations against DeBeers (www.dti.gov.uk/ewt/debeers.doc). A statement regarding the allegations against Avient will follow shortly.

Newspaper Market

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will refer the wholesale newspaper market to the Office of Fair Trading for investigation.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Any such investigation into the wholesale newspaper market would be a matter for the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

Nuclear Power

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the proportions of expenditure by the planned nuclear decommissioning authority that will be spent on (a) discharging nuclear liabilities, (b) funding nuclear spent fuel reprocessing and (c) power generation.

Stephen Timms: The 2004 Spending Review announced on 12 July provided funding, subject to the successful adoption of the then Energy Bill (now the Energy Act), for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) of approximately £2 billion per year including income from trading.
	The NDA will set out its spending priorities for 2005–06 in its first annual plan. The draft plan will be subject to public consultation during this autumn. The Secretary of State will approve the plan early next year.
	In autumn 2005, the NDA will publish its strategy for the first five years of its operation. This too will provide further information on spending priorities.

Nuclear Power

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) total costs to date and (b) projected future costs to public funds are of decommissioning nuclear power stations; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Government's July 2002 White Paper, "Managing the Nuclear Legacy: A strategy for action", estimated the undiscounted cost of the Magnox decommissioning liabilities at £12 billion and the total cost of treating civil public sector nuclear liabilities at £48 billion. From April 2005, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) will take responsibility for the Magnox power stations, all of which are scheduled to close by 2010.
	The cost of decommissioning British Energy's nuclear power stations, which are all operational, is covered in its annual report and accounts. Under British Energy's proposed restructuring plan, the company will continue to contribute to a Nuclear Liabilities Fund (NLF) that will meet British Energy's decommissioning liabilities. To ensure safety and environmental protection, the Government will underwrite the NLF to the extent that the company's contributions are insufficient. The treatment of liabilities by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. (BNFL), including Magnox, is also discussed in BNFL's accounts.

Nuclear Power

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment has been made by her office of civil nuclear security in respect of providing guidance to (a) nuclear operators, (b) regulators, (c) other non-departmental public bodies and (d) relevant Government Departments on the release of sensitive nuclear information.

Stephen Timms: Such guidance has been issued by the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) and is available on the DTI website.

Nuclear Power

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what additional protection measures have been taken at (a) Sellafield, (b) other nuclear sites operated by BNFL and (c) nuclear installations operated by the UK Atomic Energy Authority since 11 September 2001.

Stephen Timms: The UK's civil nuclear sites apply stringent security measures regulated by the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), the security regulator. The security regulator works closely with the Health and Safety Executive, the safety regulator, which provides advice on the safety implications of events, including external hazards such as plane crashes, at nuclear installations. Security at nuclear sites is kept under regular review in the light of the prevailing threat and has been significantly enhanced since the terrorist attacks in the USA on 11 September 2001. Under Exemption 1—information whose disclosure would harm national security—of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, it is not Government policy to disclose details of these measures which could potentially be of use to terrorists.

Nuclear Power

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the report published by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology on 22 July on assessing the risk of terrorist attacks on nuclear facilities.

Stephen Timms: The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology report is an excellent overview of the publicly-available information in this field. My Department and the civil nuclear industry were among the many who contributed in providing the public domain information required for the report.

Nuclear Power

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the additional requirements for personnel vetting that will arise from the contractorisation of (a) nuclear waste management and (b) nuclear installation decommissioning under the guidance of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Stephen Timms: Security vetting for the civil nuclear industry is conducted by the Office for Civil Security (OCNS). We believe that the initial impact of the formation of the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency (NDA) on vetting requirements will be within existing resources. However, as the NDA moves toward open bidding for contracts, OCNS will monitor the situation closely in order to ensure that the high standards of vetting within the civil nuclear industry are maintained.

PFI/PPP

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many contracts her Department had with (a) Barclays, (b) the Royal Bank of Scotland, (c) UBS Warburg and (d) the Bank of Scotland for advice on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts in each financial year since 2001–02; and what fees were paid in each case.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There have been no contracts for advisory work on PPP or PFI contracts let by the Department with any of the companies mentioned since 2001–02.

Pharmaceutical Services

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by what date she has been advised she will receive the Office of Fair Trading report on pharmaceutical services; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry received the Office of Fair Trading report on pharmaceutical services on 17 January 2003.
	I made a statement to the House of Commons setting out the Government's response to the OFT report on 17 July 2003.
	My colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Health responsible for Pharmacies, announced on 18 August the implementation of the Government's response to the OFT report.

Post Offices (Disabled Access)

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices in Northampton, South have disabled access.

Stephen Timms: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Postal Service

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what change there has been in the number of delays in the postal service in (a) urban and (b) rural areas since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The issue of the postal service is an operational matter for Royal Mail Group plc and I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Regional Development Agencies

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which regional development agencies have (a) an office and (b) representatives outside the UK.

Jacqui Smith: The answer to the question updates answers previously given to the hon. Member for Essex north on 26 January 2004, Official Report, columns 73–76W and 5 February 2004, Official Report, columns 999–1000W.
	I have been advised of the following answers by England's Regional Development Agencies (RDAs).
	Advantage West Midlands
	Advantage West Midlands has offices in France, Germany, Sweden and Belgium.
	In north America, Advantage West Midlands shares representation with their partner agency, EMDA, under the British Midlands' brand. Together they have a total of five offices and seven full-time staff based in Washington, Boston, Chicago, San Jose and Toronto; they also employ the services of a telemarketing agency in north America. The British Midlands is also represented on a full-time basis in Japan with two staff. In south east Asia, India and Australia, the British Midlands has part-time representation with offices in Singapore, Mumbai and Sydney and a total of six part-time agents.
	The cost incurred by AWM in maintaining these offices in 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Australia 63,259 
			 Belgium 107,625 
			 Canada 29,863 
			 France 71,082 
			 Germany 102,784 
			 India 49,817 
			 Japan 101,780 
			 Singapore 44,386 
			 Sweden 85,198 
			 USA 468,574 
			 Total 1,124,367 
		
	
	East of England Development Agency
	The East of England Developments Agency (BED A) has an inward investment office in San Jose (Silicon Valley) a joint project between EEDA and Invest East of England. There are no representatives as the office is co-ordinated by the vice-president for business development at Invest East of England.
	EEDA also subscribes to the East of England partnership office in Brussels and the Essex and East of England International Trade office in Jiangsu Province China (but does not have offices or representatives).
	The cost incurred by EEDA in maintaining these offices in 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Belgium 56,500 
			 China 63,000 
			 USA 250,000 
			 Total 369,500 
		
	
	East Midlands Development Agency
	The East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA) is represented in Europe by part-time agents in Germany (Munich-two staff) and Scandinavia (Malmo-one person);
	EMDA also employs a telemarketing agency in France.
	In north America, EMDA shares representation with their partner agency, Advantage West Midlands, under the British Midlands' brand. Together they have a total of five offices and seven full-time staff based in Washington, Boston, Chicago, San Jose and Toronto; they also employ the services of a telemarketing agency in north America. The British Midlands is also represented on a full-time basis in Japan with two staff. In south east Asia, India and Australia, the British Midlands has part-time representation with offices in Singapore, Mumbai and Sydney and a total of six agents.
	EMDA is also a partner in the East Midlands European Office (EMEO), based in Brussels. The partnership also includes the region's strategic local authorities, the Regional Assembly and the East Midlands Regional Local Government Association. In addition, EMDA line manages EMEO on behalf of the regional partnership.
	The cost incurred by EMDA in maintaining these offices in 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Australia 60,000 
			 Belgium 50,000 
			 France 20,000 
			 Germany 70,000 
			 India 50,000 
			 Japan 90,000 
			 North America 402,000 
			 Scandinavia 60,000 
			 Singapore 75,000 
			 Total 877,000 
		
	
	London Development Agency
	The London Development Agency is a partner in the London European Office, a staffed Greater London Authority partnership office in Brussels. The cost incurred in maintaining this office in 2003–04 was £50,000.
	North West Development Agency
	The North West Development Agency (NWDA) has an office with two members of staff (one full-time and one part-time) in Japan (in conjunction with Yorkshire Forward).
	As part of a north of England collaboration (a joint venture with One NorthEast and Yorkshire Forward) there are offices in Australia (Sydney) and north America: Chicago (five people), Boston (two people), Atlanta (one person) and Los Angeles: (one person full-time and one person part-time).
	The NWDA with the North West Regional Assembly (NWRA) jointly fund an office and one member of staff in Brussels.
	The cost incurred by NWDA in maintaining these offices in 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Australia 55,000 
			 Belgium 103,000 
			 Japan 135,000 
			 USA 392,000 
			 Total 685,000 
		
	
	One NorthEast
	One NorthEast has offices in China (Shanghai), Japan (Tokyo) and Korea (Seoul). Until the end of 2003–04 it also operated an office in Taiwan.
	As part of a north of England collaboration (a joint venture with North West Development Agency and Yorkshire Forward) there are offices and representatives in Australia (Sydney) and north America (Chicago, Boston, Atlanta and Los Angeles).
	The cost incurred by ONE in maintaining these offices in 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Australia 50,000 
			 China 66,525 
			 Japan 185,086 
			 Korea 73,208 
			 North America 396,000 
			 Taiwan 51,855 
			 Total 822,673 
		
	
	South East England Development Agency
	The South East of England Development Agency (SEED A) shares an officer post with the Regional Assembly operating from South East England House in Brussels, co-located and working with other partners from around the Region. SEEDA is also represented in Washington DC by Odell Simms and Associates and has a representative in each of the following cities: Berlin, San Diego, Boston, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo,Osaka and Sydney, the latter post being part-time.
	The cost incurred by SEEDA in maintaining these offices in 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Australia 56,006 
			 Belgium 131,658 
			 China 26,331 
			 Germany 101,683 
			 Japan 127,655 
			 Korea 33,699 
			 USA 558,735 
			 Total 1,035,766 
		
	
	South West of England Regional Development Agency
	The South West of England Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) has an office in Japan. There are two representatives in north America—one in Boston and one in Sonoma, California.
	It also has just opened an office in Guangdong province in southern China and taken on a new representative in Melbourne, Australia. No costs were incurred for these in 2003–04.
	The cost incurred by SWRDA in maintaining these offices in 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Japan 394,364 
			 USA 468,514 
			 Total 862,878 
		
	
	Yorkshire Forward
	Yorkshire Forward has an office and representatives in China and in Japan (the latter joint with the North West Development Agency).
	As part of a north of England collaboration (a joint venture with North West Development Agency and OneNorth East) there are offices and representatives in Australia (Sydney) and north America (Chicago, Boston, Atlanta and Los Angeles). Yorkshire Forward also provide a contribution of £60,000 towards the running costs of the Yorkshire and Humber European Office, managed by the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly.
	The cost incurred by Yorkshire Forward in maintaining these offices in 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Australia 58,000 
			 Belgium 60,000 
			 China 28,000 
			 Japan 201,000 
			 USA 412,000 
			 Total 759,000

Regional Development Agencies

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what offices outside the United Kingdom are maintained by regional development agencies; and what the cost of maintaining each one was in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: The answer to the question updates answers previously given to the hon Member for Essex North on 26 January 2004, Official Report, columns 73–76W and 5 February 2004, Official Report, columns 999–1000W.
	I have been advised of the following answers by England's Regional Development Agencies (RDAs).
	Advantage West Midlands
	Advantage West Midlands has offices in France, Germany, Sweden and Belgium.
	In North America, Advantage West Midlands shares representation with their partner agency, EMDA, under the British Midlands' brand. Together they have a total of five offices and seven full time staff based in Washington, Boston, Chicago, San Jose and Toronto; they also employ the services of a telemarketing agency in North America. The British Midlands is also represented on a fulltime basis in Japan with two staff. In South East Asia, India and Australia, the British Midlands has part time representation with offices in Singapore, Mumbai and Sydney and a total of six part-time agents.
	The cost incurred by AWM in maintaining these offices in 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 Australia 63,259 
			 Belgium 107,625 
			 Canada 29,863 
			 France 71,082 
			 Germany 102,784 
			 India 49,817 
			 Japan 101,780 
			 Singapore 44,386 
			 Sweden 85,198 
			 USA 468,574 
			 Total 1,124,367 
		
	
	East of England Development Agency
	The East of England Developments Agency (BED A) has an inward investment office in San Jose (Silicon Valley) a joint project between EEDA and Invest East of England. There are no representatives as the office is co-ordinated by the vice-president for business development at Invest East of England.
	EEDA also subscribes to the East of England partnership office in Brussels and the Essex and East of England International Trade office in Jiangsu Province China (but does not have offices or representatives).
	The cost incurred by EEDA in maintaining these offices in 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 Belgium 56,500 
			 China 63,000 
			 USA 250,000 
			 Total 369,500 
		
	
	East Midlands Development Agency
	The East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA) is represented in Europe by part time agents in Germany (Munich—two staff) and Scandinavia (Malmo—one person); EMDA also employs a telemarketing agency in France.
	In North America, EMDA shares representation with their partner agency, Advantage West Midlands, under the British Midlands' brand. Together they have a total of five offices and seven full time staff based in Washington, Boston, Chicago, San Jose and Toronto; they also employ the services of a telemarketing agency in North America. The British Midlands is also represented on a fulltime basis in Japan with two staff. In South East Asia, India and Australia, the British Midlands has part time representation with offices in Singapore, Mumbai and Sydney and a total of six agents.
	EMDA is also a partner in the East Midlands European Office (EMEO), based in Brussels. The partnership also includes the region's strategic local authorities, the Regional Assembly and the East Midlands Regional Local Government Association.
	In addition, EMDA line manages EMEO on behalf of the regional partnership.
	The cost incurred by EMDA in maintaining these offices in 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 Australia 60,000 
			 Belgium 50,000 
			 France 20,000 
			 Germany 70,000 
			 India 50,000 
			 Japan 90,000 
			 North America 402,000 
			 Scandinavia 60,000 
			 Singapore 75,000 
			 Total 877,000 
		
	
	London Development Agency
	The London Development Agency is a partner in the London European Office, a staffed Greater London Authority partnership office in Brussels. The cost incurred in maintaining this office in 2003–04 was £50,000.
	North West Development Agency
	The North West Development Agency (NWDA) has an office with two members of staff (one full time and one part time) in Japan (in conjunction with Yorkshire Forward).
	As part of a North of England collaboration (a joint venture with One North East and Yorkshire Forward) there are offices in Australia (Sydney) and North America: Chicago (five people), Boston (two people), Atlanta (one person) and Los Angeles: (one person full time and one person part time).
	The NWDA with the North West Regional Assembly (NWRA) jointly fund an office and one member of staff in Brussels.
	The cost incurred by NWDA in maintaining these offices in 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 Australia 55,000 
			 Belgium 103,000 
			 Japan 135,000 
			 USA 392,000 
			 Total 685,000 
		
	
	One NorthEast
	One NorthEast has offices in China (Shanghai), Japan (Tokyo) and Korea (Seoul). Until the end of 2003–04 it also operated an office in Taiwan.
	As part of a North of England collaboration (a joint venture with North West Development Agency and Yorkshire Forward) there are offices and representatives in Australia (Sydney) and North America (Chicago, Boston, Atlanta and Los Angeles).
	The cost incurred by ONE in maintaining these offices in 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 Australia 50,000 
			 China 66,525 
			 Japan 185,086 
			 Korea 73,208 
			 North America 396,000 
			 Taiwan 51,855 
			 Total 822,673 
		
	
	South East England Development Agency
	The South East of England Development Agency (SEEDA) shares an officer post with the Regional Assembly operating from South East England House in Brussels, co-located and working with other partners from around the Region. SEEDA is also represented in Washington DC by Odell Simms and Associates and has a representative in each of the following cities: Berlin, San Diego, Boston, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka and Sydney, the latter post being part-time.
	The cost incurred by SEEDA in maintaining these offices in 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 Australia 56,006 
			 Belgium 131,658 
			 China 26,331 
			 Germany 101,683 
			 Japan 127,655 
			 Korea 33,699 
			 USA 558,735 
			 Total 1,035,766 
		
	
	South West of England Regional Development Agency
	The South West of England Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) has an office in Japan. There are two representatives in North America—one in Boston and one in Sonoma, California.
	It also has just opened an office in Guangdong province in Southern China and taken on a new representative in Melbourne, Australia. No costs were incurred for these in 2003–04.
	The cost incurred by SWRDA in maintaining these offices in 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 Japan 394,364 
			 USA 468,514 
			 Total 862,878 
		
	
	Yorkshire Forward
	Yorkshire Forward has an office and representatives in China and in Japan (the latter joint with the North West Development Agency).
	As part of a North of England collaboration (a joint venture with North West Development Agency and One North East) there are offices and representatives in Australia (Sydney) and North America (Chicago, Boston, Atlanta and Los Angeles). Yorkshire Forward also provide a contribution of £60,000 towards the running costs of the Yorkshire and Humber European Office, managed by the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly.
	The cost incurred by Yorkshire Forward in maintaining these offices in 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 Australia 58,000 
			 Belgium 60,000 
			 China 28,000 
			 Japan 201,000 
			 USA 412,000 
			 Total 759,000

Regional Development Agencies

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether regional development agencies are required to meet performance indicators for central Government.

Jacqui Smith: I refer the Member to my answer given on 22 July, Official Report, columns 514–515W.

Regional Development Agencies

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding from her Department in 2004–05 is devoted by regional development agencies specifically towards promoting the development of minority ethnic businesses.

Jacqui Smith: Through the framework provided by their Regional Economic Strategies (RES), RDAs work with a range of local partners, to contribute to the development of ethnic minority businesses. Examples of this are in the document "RDA Activities supporting Ethnic Minority Businesses" which provides a list of RDA supported activities that stimulate ethnic business growth. I have placed this document in the House of Commons Library. Unfortunately, information about costs cannot be easily disaggregated and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The East Midlands Development Agency (emda) have a lead role to co-ordinate policy on ethnic minority businesses on behalf of all the RDAs. They have jointly established with De Montfort University the Centre for Research into Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (www.crème-dmu.org.uk). As part of their work emda are also organising the eighth Ethnic Business Conference in Leicester in September 2004.

Regional Supply Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the (a) purpose and (b) role of the regional supply offices; and what their budget was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: Regional Supply Offices (RSOs) were designed to provide a means by which small businesses could gain access to the supply chain business of large firms. The market failure was that large firms were often unaware of smaller, potential suppliers in their regions, and for their part small businesses were unable to talk to chief buyers etc because they lacked the status to do so. The role of the RSO Advisers was to go out and learn of the large suppliers' supply chain requirements, and then offer to locate (small business) suppliers for them. In parallel, the RSO Advisers would help the small suppliers to develop their services to meet the customer requirements. Practical examples of these activities included seminars and workshop to highlight the benefits companies could gain from understanding supply chain development programmes, briefing on special topics such as manufacturing issues, subsidised stand space for companies at major trade shows and exhibitions as well as the organisation of business to business events. In April 2001, responsibility for the RSOs was transferred to the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) in the English regions.
	The RDAs integrated their RSOs but services of a similar nature continue to be provided in all regions as part of the RDAs' and Partners' range of business support. However, as supply chain support has been mainstreamed in this way, information about costs cannot be easily disaggregated and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Rural Postal Services

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research her Department has carried out into the possible effects on small businesses in rural areas of further plans for restrictions to the postal services; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The provision of postal services to small businesses in rural areas is an operational matter for the Royal Mail. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member .

Sellafield Site Remediation Strategy

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made by BNFL towards completing a full structural analysis of the B30 facility at Sellafield.

Stephen Timms: Following discussion with HSE's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, BNFL has carried out a structural analysis of the B30 facility. HSE expects to receive the main findings of the report in September, after which further plans will be developed.

Sellafield Site Remediation Strategy

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress BNFL has made in removing sludges from B30 Sellafield in order to comply with the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate's specification 325 issued in 2000; and what assessment has been made of whether the deadline of removing and treating 90 per cent. of the sludges will be met by August 2010.

Stephen Timms: BNFL are developing plans to meet the specification requirement of 90 per cent. of sludge removal by August 2010. Sludge removal requires modification to the plant at B30 and the building of a new structure to house and treat the sludge. Some preliminary refurbishment work has started. This and other projects form the basis for carrying out sludge removal and are being incorporated into both the short and long term plans for the site. HSE's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate will continue to monitor these plans so that the August 2010 date will be met.

Turner and Newall

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the implications of Chapter 11 bankruptcy of Turner and Newall for compensation for victims of asbestos-related injuries in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The treatment of claims of US asbestos related creditors in the Federal Mogul Chapter 11 proceedings is a matter for the parties in interest in those proceedings to determine, under the supervision of the bankruptcy court. In the UK asbestos related claims against the Turner and Newall companies which are in administration are matters for the administrators of those companies. Where required the administrators can seek the direction of the court as to the conduct of the administration.

UN Sales Convention

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to be in the position to introduce legislation implementing the UN Sales Convention; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: Any legislation needed to implement the 1980 UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods will be introduced when Parliamentary time permits. We are at a comparatively early stage on the road towards possible legislation but we are proposing to issue a consultation document, in the course of the next few months, to examine the available options.

West Midlands Minority Ethnic Business Forum

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the current levels of funding from her Department to the West Midlands Minority Ethnic Business Forum.

Jacqui Smith: The West Midlands Minority Ethnic Business Forum is not directly funded by the DTI but received support from Advantage West Midlands. This year AWM expects to spend £300,000 on the West Midlands Minority Ethnic Business Forum of which approximately £180,000 has been spent to-date.

Working Time Directive

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with her European counterparts regarding proposals to abolish the individual opt-out from the 48-hour limit set by the Working Time Directive; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I am not aware of any European proposals to abolish the individual opt out. Both my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have had a number of key meetings with the Commission and member states to ensure that the UK's position is well represented with regards to the opt out.
	We are committed to retaining the opt out and securing a solution to both the opt out and SiMAP/Jaeger which will work for all member states.
	We are currently awaiting publication of the Commission's proposals on the review of the Working Time Directive.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Access Orders

Andrew Turner: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on enforcement of access orders.

David Lammy: The Government published a consultation paper on 21 July 2004. It proposes a variety of new powers for courts, to help more effective enforcement of contact orders.

House of Lords Reform

Jim Knight: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures the Government are considering to reform the second Chamber.

Christopher Leslie: The Government are determined to proceed with further reform of the House of Lords. Proposals will be developed in the context of the Labour Party manifesto.

House of Lords Reform

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether the Lord Chancellor plans to bring forward proposals to change the powers of the House of Lords to delay legislation.

Christopher Leslie: Any proposals for substantial reform of the House of Lords will have to consider the role, powers and procedures of the second chamber and its relationship with the House of Commons. The Labour Party will return to House of Lords reform in its manifesto.

Administration of Justice

James Clappison: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what progress is being made with his plans for the Lord Chancellor and a supreme court in the administration of justice.

Christopher Leslie: The Constitutional Reform Bill will reform the office of the Lord Chancellor, establish a new Supreme Court and set up a new Judicial Appointments Commission. The Bill was introduced into the House of Lords on 24 February and has received detailed scrutiny from a Lords Select Committee. The Bill is now receiving the attention of the other place.

Essex Magistrates Court

Bob Russell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on progress with the allocation of resources to the private finance initiative for Essex magistrates courts.

Christopher Leslie: Revised Investment Plans following the summer Spending Review will be concluded in November, but under present plans the new courthouse scheme for Colchester and Essex remains on course for construction over the next few years.

Postal Ballots

David Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment has been made of the all-postal vote electoral pilots in the east midlands up to and on 10 June.

Christopher Leslie: The Electoral Commission's report on the June all-postal voting pilots was published on 27 August, which included a specific review of the experience in the East Midlands. The Government are currently considering these reports.

Court Efficiency

Vincent Cable: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on progress with improving the efficiency of the courts.

Christopher Leslie: Her Majesty's Court Service (HMCS) will be established in April 2005 and will bring together the current Court Service and the 42 Magistrates Courts Committees in a single organisation. This will enable us to make the delivery of justice across the criminal, civil and family jurisdictions more efficient on a national scale and geared more closely to the needs of the local community and court users.

Asbestos (Compensation)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will propose changes to the law on compensation for asbestos injury victims bringing claims against uninsured defendants to enable them to receive interim payments; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: Rule 25.7(2) of the Civil Procedure Rules currently prevents a court from making an interim payment order against an uninsured defendant. At the request of the Civil Procedure Rule Committee, the Government are seeking views on the operation of this Rule from interested parties, with a view to the issue receiving further consideration by the Rule Committee.

Bereavement Damages

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to review the level of bereavement damages; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: The level of bereavement damages was increased from £7,500 to £10,000 with effect from 1 April 2002, to account for inflation since the previous revision in 1991. The Government are currently considering how best to provide for further increases in future.

CAFCASS

Theresa May: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service officers are in post; and how many posts are vacant.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	As at 30 June 2004, there were 1,304 officers (practitioners) in post (not including the self-employed). The current number of vacancies for officers (practitioners) stands at 39.

CAFCASS

Theresa May: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many reports were drafted by (a) the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service and (b) predecessor bodies in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	Statistics are not available for the period before CAFCASS was established in 2001 as the work was carried out by a range of organisations and authorities, some of which, for example the Probation Service, no longer exist in their previous form. Figures from CAFCASS show numbers of requests for private law reports resulting in written reports:
	
		
			 Requests for private law reports  
		
		
			 2001–02 (October 2001 to March 2002) 17,352 
			 2002–03 35,074 
			 2003–04 33,803 
			 2004–05 (April to May only) 5,175 
			 Total number of requests April 2001 to date 91,404

CAFCASS

Theresa May: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the average length of time taken to draft a Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service report has been.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	There is no 'average length of time' taken by CAFCASS officers to draft reports. However, the number of weeks required to draft a private law report ranges from 10–18 weeks. The length of time may vary from region to region, and also on the scale of officers' workloads and the complexity of individual cases. CAFCASS officers will often seek to agree these times with the courts, on a case-by-case basis.
	In Public Law, the Protocol for Judicial Case Management in Public Law Children Act Cases standard is that cases are to be completed by the courts within 40 weeks, though some of these cases can take a year or more. The drafting of reports in these Public Law cases will be undertaken during part of this period.

Child Contact

Huw Edwards: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to take steps to give grandparents a legal presumption of contact with grandchildren that can be enforced by the courts, save where a child's safety would be at risk.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have no plans to give grandparents a legal presumption of contact. The Children Act 1989 makes clear that the welfare of the child is the paramount consideration in any proceedings relating to the upbringing of a child.. The Government believe that this principle should be sustained, without qualification, in order that there continues to be the clearest possible focus on the needs of children.
	The Government recognise and value the important role which grandparents can play in children's lives. Many grandparents are already involved with the care of their grandchildren and most children see their grandparents as important figures in their lives. However, the primary responsibility for bringing up children in most families lies with their parents and there may be cases where parents prefer to limit contact with grandparents.
	Under the Children Act 1989, grandparents may, provided that the permission of the court is obtained, apply to the court for an order granting contact with a grandchild. The requirement for the court's permission is not designed to be an obstacle to grandparents but to act as an initial filter to sift out prejudiced applications that are unlikely to succeed. Experience suggests that grandparents would not usually experience difficulty in obtaining permission where their application is motivated by a genuine concern for the child.
	The Government are aware there is considerable concern about how court ordered contact arrangements can be supported more effectively. Our consultation document, "Parental separation: Children's Needs and Parents' Responsibilities", published in July, outlines how the Government propose better to support families who are going through separation. It details a range of measures, including better information for parents, parenting plans to help parents make good arrangements, in-court conciliation and mediation for those parents who do go to court, active judicial management and stronger powers for judges to enforce court orders.

Civil Legal Aid

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of high property values in the South East on the eligibility of people of low income who are home owners for civil legal aid.

Christopher Leslie: The Legal Service Commission is currently consulting on proposed changes to financial eligibility for civil legal aid, including replacing the current £100,000 equity disregard with exemptions targeted on those with the lowest incomes, particularly pensioners and the disabled. During the consultation period (which closes on 15 October 2004), the Commission's research centre is undertaking a means survey of legal aid applicants which will provide further data on housing equity. The results of this research and the wider public consultation will be analysed before we announce the way forward.

Claim Management Companies

John Greenway: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to implement the Better Regulations Task Force's recommendation to strengthen consumer protection against claim management companies.

David Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to my hon. Friend, the Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore).

Court Dress

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on progress with the proposed reforms of court dress.

Christopher Leslie: The consultation paper "Court Working Dress in England and Wales" set out a range of possible options for changing court working dress. It attracted 3,406 responses. My right hon. friend the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor is considering in the light of these responses whether changes would be beneficial and expects to make an announcement in due course.

Government Information

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what action his Department is taking to deal with delays experienced by applicants under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Christopher Leslie: The Government take any delays experienced by applicants under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information seriously.
	The Government regret that delays do unavoidably occur in a minority of complex cases. However, the Ombudsman's review of the first nine months of the Memorandum of Understanding (September 2003 to May 2004) shows that in most cases the requirements of the Memorandum of Understanding were met.
	In all cases, Departments endeavour to ensure that the time limit of 20 working days for Departments to respond to requests for information is met.
	Compliance with the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information is monitored annually and published in the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information Monitoring Report.

Government Premises

Tim Boswell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the arrangements for access to government premises for (a) physically disabled persons and (b) allergy sufferers, with particular reference to latex allergy.

Christopher Leslie: As of the 31 July 2004 319 of the 377 properties that currently make up the Court Service estate are fully accessible to physically disabled persons.
	There has been no recorded incident in respect of latex allergies within the Department for Constitutional Affairs. In the event that a member of staff or a visitor to one of our buildings were to suffer from an allergy to latex, we would seek the advice of the Department of Health as to an appropriate course of action to ensure that they suffer no discomfort.

Law Commission

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will list the outstanding reports for the Law Commission recommending legislation and in relation to which no Bill has been put before Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: The outstanding reports are set out in the following tables. Following recommendations made in the recent quinquennial review of the Law Commission my Department, with the support of the Law Commission, is exploring ways in which Departments could implement more accepted Law Commission recommendations. A Ministerial Committee is to consider the Law Commission's draft programme every two years. In addition, Departments are being encouraged to consider, where appropriate, the use of regulatory reform orders and other ways of implementing recommendations. My Department already seeks from other Government Departments six monthly reports on their progress in deciding on published Law Commission recommendations, and when they propose to implement them. However, it is for individual Departments to decide which recommendations to accept and when to implement them.
	
		Law Commission Reports awaiting Government response
		
			 Year Number Title 
		
		
			 1995 229 Intoxication and Criminal Liability 
			 1996 238 Landlord and Tenant: Responsibility for State and Condition of Property 
			 1998 249 Liability for Psychiatric Illness 
			 1999 257 Damages for Personal Injury: Non-Pecuniary Loss 
			 1999 262 Damages for Personal Injury: Medical, Nursing and other Expenses 
			 1999 263 Claims for Wrongful Death 
			 2003 283 Partnership Law 
			 2003 284 Renting Homes 
			 2003 286 Towards a Compulsory Purchase Code: (1) Compensation 
			 2004 287 Pre-Judgment Interest on Debts and Damages 
			 2004 289 In the Public Interest: Publication of Local Authority Reports 
		
	
	
		Law Commission Reports awaiting legislation
		
			 Year Number Title 
		
		
			 1991 194 Distress for Rent 
			 1993 218 Offences Against the Person and General Principles 
			 1994 222 Binding Over 
			 1994 226 Judicial Review and Statutory Appeals 
			 1996 237 Involuntary Manslaughter 
			 1997 246 Shareholder Remedies 
			 1997 247 Aggravated, Exemplary and Restitutionary Damages 
			 1998 248 Corruption Offences 
			 1998 251 The Rules Against Perpetuities and Excessive Accumulations 
			 1998 255 Consents to Prosecution 
			 1999 261 Company Directors Duties and Conflicts of Interest 
			 2001 270 Limitation of Actions 
			 2001 272 Third Parties' Rights Against Insurers 
			 2002 276 Fraud 
			 2002 277 The Effective Prosecution of Multiple Offending 
			 2003 282 Children: Their Non-Accidental Death or Serious Injury (Criminal Trials) 
		
	
	
		Law Commission Reports currently under consideration by Parliament
		
			 Year Number Title 
		
		
			 1995 231 Mental Incapacity

Legal Rights

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to propose changes to the legal principle of volenti non fit injuria in cases involving sport or outdoor pursuits; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: The Government have no plans to change the law in this area.

Magistrate Training

Andy Burnham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what training is available to magistrates on access rights for grandparents in cases of family breakdown.

Christopher Leslie: Statutory responsibility for the training of magistrates currently rests with the 42 independent magistrates courts committees (MCCs). In court lay magistrates sit with their justices' clerk or a legal adviser. The justices' clerk has a statutory duty to provide advice to the magistrates on questions of law, practice and procedure. This will include advice on applying any case law and relevant Court of Appeal judgments when making decisions. Cases concerning contact (access) arrangements are therefore considered by magistrates on individual merit and with appropriate advice on law and procedure. In each case the child's welfare shall be the court's paramount consideration.
	The Children Act 1989 introduced the legal framework for contact (access) arrangements for children in cases of family breakdown. A grandparent is entitled to apply to the court under s.10 of the Act for permission to make an application for contact.
	Only magistrates who sit on the Family Panel can hear cases that involve contact arrangements. The recently updated Magistrates' National Training Initiative (MNTI 2) sets out (and confirms the current practice) that magistrates should only be invited to sit on the Family Panel after successfully demonstrating the competencies required to sit in the adult court. Magistrates have been using a competence framework since 1998 for appraisal and training. Under MNTI 2 there are new competence frameworks for both the adult and family courts. These competence frameworks set out the knowledge, understanding, and skills magistrates need to demonstrate to perform their role.
	Applications for contact arrangements can also be heard in family proceedings in the county court.

National Debt Helpline/Consumer Direct

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the Government grant to (a) the National Debt Helpline and (b) Consumer Direct is for the next financial year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	The DTI grant for the National Debtline for financial year 2005–06 has yet to be decided and will be considered as part of the Department's forthcoming business planning exercise.
	The DTI's settlement under the Spending Review 2004 included a ring-fenced provision of £16 million in respect of Consumer Direct for financial year 2005–06.

Personal Injury Cases

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to review the indemnity principle in relation to costs in personal injury cases; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: We considered further the indemnity principle as part of our recent review of the conditional fee agreement (CFA) regime Our conclusions on this, the reform of conditional fee agreements and other important costs matters are set out in "Making simple CFAs a reality" which was published on 29 June 2004, copies of which were placed in the Libraries of both Houses. .

Personal Injury Cases

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to review the quantum of general damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity in personal injury claims in line with the Law Commission's recommendations; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: In response to a question from the hon. Member in November 1999, the Government indicated that this issue was a matter for the discretion of the court, and that the Government had no plans to legislate. That remains the position.

Personal Injury Cases

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to review the discount rate for damages in personal injury cases; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: The discount rate was set at 2.5 per cent. in July 2001. Since then it has been kept under review.

PFI/PPP Contracts

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many contracts the Department has had with (a) Barclays, (b) the Royal Bank of Scotland, (c) UBS Warburg and (d) the Bank of Scotland for advice on private finance initiative and public-private partnership contracts in each financial year since 2001–02; and what fees were paid in each case.

Christopher Leslie: My Department has had no contracts for advice with Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, UBS Warburg or Bank of Scotland on private finance initiative and public-private partnership contracts since 2001–02.

Postal Voting

David Ruffley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people were registered for a permanent postal vote in the Bury St. Edmunds constituency in each year since 1997.

Christopher Leslie: Individual Electoral Registration Officers keep records of the number of postal voters in their registration area, but they are not required to keep separate records of long term postal voters and those for one election only. It is possible to apply for a postal vote at any time, and figures are not maintained on a yearly basis. However, the following information is available for the 1997 and 2001 general elections.
	
		
			 Bury St. Edmunds Total number of postal voters 
		
		
			 1997 1,966 
			 2001 3,104 
		
	
	In addition, the Electoral Registration Officer for St. Edmundsbury borough council has advised that there are currently 6,544 registered postal voters in the Bury St. Edmunds constituency.

Sentencing Guidelines

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what provisions are in place to increase awareness amongst the judiciary of the behaviour patterns of people who have communication-related disabilities, including autism and Aspergers' Syndrome, in relation to sentencing for communication-related offences, with particular reference to (a) section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 and (b) the offence of being drunk and disorderly.

Christopher Leslie: The particular offences in question can only be heard within the magistrates court and usually before lay justices, although District Judges (magistrates court) and Deputy District Judges (magistrates court) also have jurisdiction to deal with them. The Government are committed to the equal and fair treatment of all those who find themselves having to answer criminal charges in court. In particular, part of the judicial oath states that magistrates will "do right to all manner of people".
	The JSB Equal Treatment Advisory Committee (ETAC) has provided a Bench Book to all professional judiciary and magistrates courts, and this can also be viewed at www.jsboard.co.uk. The Bench Book includes general advice on dealing with mental disability including autism. The JSB will shortly distribute a booklet entitled "Fairness In Courts and Tribunals" to all magistrates. This booklet is a summary of the newly revised (JSB) ETAC Bench Book. If communication difficulties arise during the charging procedure, and autism or Aspergers' Syndrome is suspected or known, the police will notify the courts in advance of the case being heard. The use of interpreters and/or adult support at Court would then be encouraged.
	All magistrates have been issued with an Adult Court Bench Book, published by the Judicial Studies Board. This Bench Book includes a structured decision-making guide for use when making sentencing decisions on both these particular offences and also includes a copy of the newly revised magistrates court sentencing guidelines. The guidelines indicate that the health (physical or mental) of offenders should be considered in mitigation.
	The "Magistrate" magazine, which is produced by the Magistrates Association, published an article in the January 2004 edition entitled "Coping with sufferers of autism". This publication is widely read among the magistracy.

Speeding

Andrew Love: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many motorists fined for speeding as a result of evidence provided by cameras (a) had not paid the fine after six months and (b) had the fine written off as uncollectable in each of the last five years.

Christopher Leslie: Information on the number of motorists fined as a result of safety camera evidence is collected by the Home Office. The most recent data available are contained in the attached table. Details of the number of motorists that do not pay their fine after six months and/or had the fine written off is not collected centrally. On 5 January I introduced a new policy, from which date fines can no longer be written off. Improving fine enforcement, including for speeding offences, is a priority and good progress continues to be made in improving performance in England and Wales. For the first full quarter of 2004–05 (April to June) the national payment rate was 81 per cent.
	
		Fixed penalties and prosecutions for speeding offences detected by cameras(47) in England and Wales, 1998 to 2002
		
			  Fixed penalty(48) Prosecutions Total 
		
		
			 1998 338,800 65,100 403,800 
			 1999 423,000 75,800 498,600 
			 2000 (49)599,200 109,200 699,400 
			 2001 877,500 137,100 1,014,600 
			 2002 1,135,400 275,900 1,411,300 
		
	
	(47) Automatic cameras until 1998, all camera types from 1999.
	(48) Paid i.e. no further action.
	(49) Following publication of 2000 data, Northamptonshire police force revised their 2000 figures for the number of fixed penalty notices issued for speeding offences from 70,300 to 34,800 (a decrease of 35,500). In consequence, national data have been revised.
	Source:
	Home Office Statistical Bulletin 05/04—Motoring Offences and Breath Test Statistics, England and Wales 2002.

Supreme Court

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans his Department has to bring forward plans to circumscribe the powers of the House of Lords.

Christopher Leslie: The powers of the House of Lords can only be determined when its proper role and functions are decided in relation to that of the House of Commons. The Government will revert to the question in its party manifesto.

Supreme Court

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what progress his Department is making in locating a site for the proposed new Supreme Court.

Christopher Leslie: Following a detailed evaluation exercise, two options remain under active consideration. They are Middlesex Guildhall and the New Wing of Somerset. We are continuing to investigate the relative qualitative and financial merits of those two buildings in consultation with the Lords of Appeal before announcing a final decision in the autumn.

Voter Participation

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to encourage (a) young and (b) first-time voters to vote at the next General Election.

Christopher Leslie: The Government are keen to ensure that all young people are encouraged to play as full a part as possible in all our democratic processes.
	A range of initiatives, such as citizenship education in schools and the UK Youth Parliament, assist this aim. At the last General Election we sought to bring this learning to life for young people by working with partners to provide mock elections in schools and colleges. We are considering how to take forward such initiatives in future elections.
	In addition, the Independent Electoral Commission established under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendum Act 2000, whose remit includes educating and informing people on electoral matters, makes special efforts to target young people especially those who are on the point of attaining the right to vote.
	However, the main responsibility for encouraging young and first-time voters to participate at the next General Election must lie with the political parties.

Written Constitution

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent representations he has received in support of a written constitution for the UK.

Christopher Leslie: One of the only recent representations that I have received was from one of my hon. Friend's constituents. My right hon. Friend, the Lord Chancellor explained in his reply that the Government have been engaged since 1997 in a major programme of constitutional reform aimed at addressing the key issues and enhancing the credibility and effectiveness of the UK's constitutional arrangements. We have no plans to formulate an overarching codified constitution.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Indian Ocean Territories

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent (a) discussions have taken place with and (b) representations have been received from the US military on the resettlement of the Chagos Islands and Diego Garcia.

Bill Rammell: The US authorities have from time-to-time made clear their concerns about the possible restoration of a settled civilian population in the British Indian Ocean Territory. However, the only formal representation from US authorities on this subject was in June 2000.

British Indian Ocean Territories

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether detainees are currently held on Diego Garcia; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The US authorities have repeatedly assured us that no suspected terrorists or Iraqi prisoners are, or ever have been, held on Diego Garcia or on vessels within its waters. The British Representative on the island has confirmed this to be the case.

British Indian Ocean Territories

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the International Criminal Court will have jurisdiction over (a) British Indian Ocean Territories and (b) Diego Garcia while the latter are under lease to the US military; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Order in Council to extend the United Kingdom's International Criminal Court Act 2001 to the Overseas Territories, which is a necessary preliminary to the United Kingdom's ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in respect of those territories, will not apply to the British Indian Ocean Territory since that territory has no settled population.

Butler Inquiry

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 84W, on Iraq, if he will place in the Library a copy of (a) Mr. Nadhmi Auchi's letter to him of 15 May 2003 introducing the Anglo Arab Organisation and (b) his subsequent acknowledgement.

Chris Mullin: I apologise for the delay in replying to the hon. Member. As my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Rammell) stated in his answer to the hon. Member on 5 January 2004, Official Report, column 84W, Mr. Auchi wrote to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Hewitt) to introduce the Anglo Arab Organisation, on 15 May 2003, and she replied on 29 May 2003.
	In his pursuant answer on 3 March 2004, Official Report, column 980W, Mr. Rammell stated that Mr. Auchi also wrote to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 15 May 2003 about the Anglo Arab Organisation, and that my noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, replied on his behalf on 7 July 2003.
	Copies of the letters, parts of which have been obscured under Exemption 12 of Part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, have been placed in the Library of the House.

Commonwealth Countries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of which countries the Queen is the head of state.

Chris Mullin: The Queen is the Sovereign and Head of State of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, Her Majesty's Realms and Her Majesty's Overseas Territories.
	HM Realms are:
	Antigua and Barbuda
	Australia
	The Bahamas
	Barbados
	Belize
	Canada
	Grenada
	Jamaica
	New Zealand
	Papua New Guinea
	St Kitts and Nevis
	St. Lucia
	St. Vincent and the Grenadines
	Solomon Islands
	Tuvalu
	HM Overseas Territories are:
	Anguilla
	Bermuda
	British Antarctic Territory
	British Indian Ocean Territory
	British Virgin Islands
	Cayman Islands
	Gibraltar
	Montserrat
	Pitcairn, Henderson, Dulcie and Oeno Islands
	St Helena (and her Dependencies of Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha)
	Falkland Islands (and her dependencies of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands)
	Turks and Caicos Island

Departmental Expenditure

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Foreign Office spent on press officers (a) in 1996–97 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by grade.

Jack Straw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office spent the following amounts on different grades of staff in its press office. These amounts are based on an average salary for the grade, employer national insurance and superannuation for each grade, and therefore do not reflect actual payments to press office staff.
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 SMS 183,734 
			 Band D 341,873 
			 Band C 333,122 
			 Band B 130,705 
			 Band A 80,372 
		
	
	The salary costs for overseas press officers and all costs requested for 1996–97 are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expenditure

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Department spent on (a) mobile phones, (b) hospitality and (c) taxis in (i) 1996–97 and (ii) the latest accounting period.

Jack Straw: The information is as follows:
	Mobile phones
	1996–97: £169,356.77
	2003–04: £680,527.56.
	This does not include the costs of mobile phones for staff overseas. Responsibility for such contracts is devolved to our overseas missions and the relevant figures could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	Entertainment 1996–97
	DS Entertainment Fund, used for official hospitality by Ministers and Officers in London: £383,507.89
	Accountable Entertainment Allowance spent on official hospitality abroad by officers with representational duties against a personal authorised ceiling: £3,865,746.74
	Frais expenditure by Heads of Mission on official hospitality abroad: £5,532,641.13
	Total for 1996–97: £9,781,895.76
	2003–04
	Direct Entertainment Expenditure in London and at Post, that includes the DS Entertainment Fund and expenditure from a system of local entertainment budgets abroad that replaced the former Accountable Entertainment Allowance for individual officers: £4,178,832.75
	Frais expenditure by Heads of Mission on official entertainment abroad: £4,103,380.55
	Total for 2003–04: £8,282,213.30
	Between these two financial years, entertainment budgets have been largely devolved to individual FCO Directorates and some payments previously made directly to individual officers now have to be drawn against tighter objectives from pooled entertainment funds. The annual totals are not therefore altogether directly comparable.
	Expenditure on hospitality for official guests invited to London from overseas for either year could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	Official taxi contract spend for the two periods concerned are:
	FY 1996–97: £113,058.09
	FY 2003–04: £412,168.68
	The 1996–07 figures may not provide a full picture of expenditure as they will not include the large ad-hoc use of black cab taxis in London by FCO staff. Staff would claim these costs via individual travel claims. This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	The figures relate to both the FCO's offices in London and Hanslope Park. Hanslope Park, since 1996–07, has developed into an important operational site to the Department and leads on major Projects such as Firecrest, the FCO Telecommunications Network and PRISM; hence the number of visitors has increased. The site is not supported by public transport links and use of taxi's to/from Central Milton Keynes (London main line) station has been the only method of reaching the site for train users. We have recognised the increased use of taxis at Hanslope Park and introduced an 'in-house' minibus service at peak times of the morning/afternoon to cut costs. In addition, we are actively managing the taxi contracts to ensure value for money. We have also encouraged taxi-sharing where possible.

Departmental Expenditure

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was of printing Foreign Office headed notepaper in (a) 1996–97 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available.

Jack Straw: For normal departmental use the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not use pre-printed headed notepaper. FCO staff use electronic templates to print out the FCO letterhead. There are, however, some departments/posts which require the use of pre-printed headed paper.
	Data from the financial year 1996–97 are not available, although headed paper produced by FCO Services Crystal Print cost £7.70 for 500 sheets in 1996–97. This does not include embossed letterheads which would have been sourced through an external supplier; financial data for this is not available.
	The cost of obtaining 500 sheets of pre-printed letterheads from FCO Services Crystal Print is £49.00, £6.50 for each extra 500 thereafter. In 1996–97 the letterheads were charged at cost (ink and paper) as the artwork was supplied by a separate department, and pricing for the internal market had not been introduced fully. Now that the artwork is produced in house a charge for the set up fee of the artwork is included in the initial cost, hence the reduction in price for multiples of 500. This current price also includes full economic cost. For the latest period June 2003—June 2004, FCO Services Crystal Print took orders for about 133,000 sheets of letterheads, including continuation sheets, for both home and overseas departments. The total cost was approximately £5,200. This type of letterhead is produced in house, from layout to print. For the period June 2003 to July 2004 FCO Services Crystal Print ordered embossed letterheads to the value of £6,586 from external suppliers.

Departmental Vehicles

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many road vehicles are operated by the Department and its agencies; how many personal injury accidents involving road vehicles operated by the Department have occurred within each of the last five years; and what the Department's policy is for managing work-related road safety.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office operates a fleet of 1,361 official vehicles; this is split between the home vehicle fleet (46 vehicles) and the overseas fleet (1,315 vehicles).
	The number of personal injury claims in each of the last five years that have involved official departmental vehicles are as follows:
	1999–2000: 1 claim (9 September 1999)
	2000–01: 0
	2001–02: 1 claim (18 March 2002)
	2002–03: 0
	2003–04: 2 claims (29 September 2003 and 4 March 2004)
	Road Safety forms a vital element of the training and development for our UK Fleet Managers. All UK Fleet Managers hold the Certificate of Professional Competence in National Road Haulage Operations. This professional qualification trains Fleet Management teams in the many road safety factors that their driving/maintenance teams must adhere to in the law. All vehicles are fully and properly maintained and driving hours/rest period regulations are monitored as required by the regulations. Other driving/maintenance safety training has been provided to increase the knowledge and proficiency of UK based driving/support teams. To provide details of our overseas fleets and their road safety policies in the form requested could be provided only at disproportionate costs. Different Regions have a range of special conditions that will need to be complied with by local fleets.
	I also refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. Alexander) on 22 July 2004, Official Report, column 490W).

EU Export Subsidies

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with European partners about the impact on the developing world of EU export subsidies.

Denis MacShane: During the last few months the issue of export subsidies and their impact on developing countries has been raised on a regular basis with our European partners by ministerial colleagues including my right hon. Friends, the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Secretary of State for International Development and my hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs.
	The Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs and I attended meetings of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council in the weeks leading up to the WTO Doha Framework Agreement, reached on 1 August 2004, where we strongly supported the European Commission's approach. I am pleased to say that the Framework Agreement provides explicitly for the elimination of all forms of export subsidy, which will greatly benefit developing countries.

Iraq

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date an official in his Department first informed an official in No. 10 Downing street of the withdrawal of the intelligence on Iraqi production of chemical and biological agent referred to in paragraph 405 of the Butler Report.

Jack Straw: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the debate in the House of 20 July 2004, Official Report, column 195.

Royal Family (Overseas Visits)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesty the Queen plans to visit Fiji within the next five years.

Chris Mullin: There are currently no plans for HM the Queen to visit Fiji.

Royal Family (Overseas Visits)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries (a) HRH Prince Charles, (b) HRH Prince Andrew and (c) HRH Prince Edward plan to visit over the next five years.

Chris Mullin: The forward programmes of visits for HRH The Prince of Wales, HRH The Earl of Wessex and HRH The Duke of York are not finalised this far in advance. In line with all royal visits, advance announcements are not usually made for security reasons.

Royal Family (Overseas Visits)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many official visits overseas HRH Prince Charles has paid over the past five years.

Chris Mullin: HRH The Prince of Wales has made 43 official visits and one royal visit to a realm in the last five years.

Royal Family (Overseas Visits)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visits the Royal Family has paid abroad over the past five years.

Chris Mullin: The Royal Family has made 175 visits overseas at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Royal Family (Overseas Visits)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesty the Queen has visited New Zealand within the past five years.

Chris Mullin: Her Majesty the Queen visited New Zealand in February 2002.

Royal Family (Overseas Visits)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the last royal visit to Singapore took place.

Chris Mullin: HRH The Duke and HRH The Duchess of Gloucester visited Singapore in 2002 to promote bilateral relations and commercial interests. HRH The Duke of York visited in 2001 to support commercial and public diplomacy interests.

Royal Family (Overseas Visits)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Royal Family plans to visit Australia within the next five years.

Chris Mullin: The forward programme of visits to Australia has not been finalised. In line with all royal visits, advance announcements are not made for security reasons.

Royal Family (Overseas Visits)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when (a) Her Majesty the Queen and (b) the royal family last visited Australia.

Chris Mullin: HM The Queen accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh last visited Australia in February 2002. Other members of the royal family visited Australia on the following dates:
	HRH The Duke of Edinburgh—April 1998
	HRH The Prince of Wales—January 1994
	HRH The Earl of Wessex—November 2002
	HRH The Princess Royal—June and September 2000 and October 2003
	HRH The Duke of Gloucester—May 1993
	HRH The Duchess of Gloucester—January 2004.

Royal Family (Overseas Visits)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether a member of the Royal Family has visited the Falkland Islands over the past five years.

Chris Mullin: HRH The Duke of York visited in 2002 to mark the 20th anniversary of the liberation of the Falkland Islands. HRH Princess Alexandra visited the Falkland Islands in 2000 in her capacity as Patron on the UK Falkland Islands Trust.

Royal Family (Overseas Visits)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times in 2004 Her Majesty the Queen has visited countries of which she is Head of State.

Chris Mullin: HM The Queen has not visited any countries in 2004 of which she is the Head of State.

Royal Family (Overseas Visits)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many countries Her Majesty the Queen has visited in an official capacity in 2004.

Chris Mullin: HM The Queen made a State Visit to France from 5–7 April to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Entente Cordiale of 1904. HM The Queen, with other Members of The Royal Family also attended the 60th Anniversary of the D-Day Normandy landings on 6 June.
	It was announced by Buckingham Palace on 19 July that, at the invitation of President Horst Kohler, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will pay a State Visit to Germany from 2 to 4 November.
	Beyond that the forward programme of State or Official visits by The Queen has not been finalised.

Royal Family (Overseas Visits)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether a member of the Royal Family plans to make a state visit to Canada within the next five years.

Chris Mullin: Security reasons preclude announcements of visits to Canada by Members of The Royal Family this far ahead.

Royal Family (Overseas Visits)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether a member of the Royal Family has paid a state visit to Canada since 1999.

Chris Mullin: Visits by Members of The Royal Family to Realms are classified as Royal Visits, not State or official visits. Our records show that visits to Canada by members of The Royal Family since 1999 have included the following:
	2002 The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh
	2001 The Duke of Edinburgh
	2004 The Duke of Edinburgh
	2001 The Prince of Wales
	1999 The Duke of York
	2000 The Duke of York
	2003 The Duke of York
	2000 The Earl of Wessex
	2001 The Earl of Wessex
	2002 The Earl of Wessex
	2003 The Earl of Wessex
	1999 The Princess Royal
	2003 The Princess Royal
	2004 The Princess Royal
	1999 The Duke of Kent
	2001 The Duke of Kent
	2001 The Duke of Kent
	2002 Prince Michael of Kent

Venezuela

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with (a) the Venezuelan Government, (b) international aid organisations and (c) others in the months which followed the 1999 Caracas floods; what support the British Government offered to (i) the Venezuelan Government and (ii) international aid organisations who were working there; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: I have been asked to reply.
	Following close liaison with the British embassy in Caracas and key operational partners in the field, DFID initially provided 500,000 to Venezuela following the floods in December 1999. This was used to support the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Red Cross. The funds went towards providing emergency assistance for those affected and initiating long-term rehabilitation for up to 10,000 families.
	The right hon. Member for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Mr George Foulkes, the then DFID Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, later held detailed discussions with the Venezuelan ambassador about DFID's role in providing assistance to the people of Venezuela. DFID also deployed experts to liaise with Venezuelan authorities and humanitarian organisations to identify priority needs. We then provided a further £300,000 in January 2000 to WHO (to expand their programme), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (to fund two disaster management specialists) and the Red Cross (to ensure continuity of relief assistance towards the full-scale recovery process).

Visiting Heads of State

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which heads of state have made visits to the UK over the past five years.

Chris Mullin: I have placed a copy of a list from our records of Heads of State who have visited the UK in an official capacity since 1999 in the Library of the House. In addition the Queen has received some other Heads of State during the course of private visits to this country.

Visiting Heads of State

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which heads of state plan to make visits to the UK over the next five years.

Chris Mullin: President Chirac of France is expected to visit the United Kingdom in the autumn and the President of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Roh Moo-hyun, accompanied by Mrs. Roh Moo-hyun, will pay a state visit to the United Kingdom in December.
	President Klaus of the Czech Republic arrived in London on 6 September for a two-day visit, and President Iliescu of Romania will arrive on 7 September for a three-day visit. Both are visiting as guests of Her Majesty's Government.
	In most cases, guest of Government visits by Heads of State are planned only six to eight weeks in advance, sometimes less. For this reason I cannot predict which other Heads of State will visit during the next five years.
	There are normally two inward state visits per year, one in the spring and one in the autumn. The forward programme of state visits for 2005, and subsequent years has not been finalised.

HEALTH

Family Courts

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what remit has been agreed for the review of the use of expert evidence in the family courts; who will be invited to submit evidence to the review; whether it is his intention to publish all submissions to the review; and when he will publish the findings of the review.

Stephen Ladyman: The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) will take forward a programme of work to examine and make recommendations on how best to ensure the availability and quality of medical expert resources to the family courts. The terms of reference are:
	a) To consider the role of expert medical witnesses in relation to family law cases:
	i. To examine the experts' participation through the process, and the competencies needed.
	ii. To examine evidence of best practice for expert witnesses.
	b) To identify a template and portfolio of medical skills by which a practitioner may be regarded as 'competent' to offer evidence.
	c) To advise on a sustainable supply of competent, quality-assured expert medical witnesses.
	d) To report and make recommendations to Government ministers in early 2005.
	The work will involve a wide range of interests, including judicial, legal, clinical specialities, scientific, statistical and consumer groups, as well as health regulatory bodies.
	Consideration will be given to the appropriateness of publishing individual submissions.

Advocacy (Older People)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce an independent advocacy service for vulnerable older people.

Stephen Ladyman: There are no plans to introduce an independent advocacy service for older people. The government encourages local authorities to use and support local advocacy schemes, or set up their own to meet specific identified need.

Annual Health Check (Pensioners)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce an annual health check for pensioners.

Stephen Ladyman: General medical practitioners must provide an annual health check to any patient aged 75 and over who requests it and who has not had a consultation within the last 12 months.
	We have no plans to introduce an annual health check for all pensioners.

Bed Occupancy Rates

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the bed occupancy rates were for (a) each NHS hospital trust in England and (b) England in each year since 1991.

John Hutton: Information on beds is collected on a provider basis from national health service organisations and the latest data available is for the year 2002–03. Beds data for 2003–04 is due to be published later this year.
	The table shows the average occupancy rate for England between 1996–97 and 2002–03. Prior to 1996–97, bed occupancy data was not collected on the bed availability return.
	Bed occupancy data from 1996–97 to 1999–2000 are available in the Library and from the Department's website from 2000–01 to 2002–03 at www.performance. doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/index.htm.
	
		Average occupancy rate, calculated using the average daily number of available and occupied beds in wards open overnight, England, 1996–97 to 2002–03 -- Percentage occupancy
		
			  All specialties General and acute 
		
		
			 1996–97 81.3 80.8 
			 1997–98 80.9 80.5 
			 1998–99 82.5 82.5 
			 1999–2000 82.7 83.1 
			 2000–01 84.0 84.7 
			 2001–02 85.1 86.0 
			 2002–03 85.4 86.5 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health from KH03.

Cancer (NICE Guidelines)

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what impact he expects the revised National Institute for Clinical Excellence Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer will have on postgraduate general practitioner training.

John Hutton: Government does not specify the content of the general practitioner training curriculum. This is the job of the joint committee on postgraduate training for general practice (JCPTGP), which is the competent authority for general practice training in the United Kingdom. The JCPTGP is an independent body and it is required by section 9(3) of the Vocational Training Regulations 1997 to determine and publish the curriculum to be followed by a GP registrar (a trainee GP).
	The Regulations do specify seven competencies which must be tested, and which the curriculum must therefore teach:
	factual medical knowledge sufficient to enable the doctor to perform the duties of a GP;
	the ability to apply factual medical knowledge to the management of problems presented by patients in general practice;
	effective communication, both orally and in writing; the ability to consult satisfactorily with general practice patients;
	the ability to review and critically analyse the practitioner's own working practices and to manage any necessary changes appropriately;
	clinical skills;
	the ability to synthesise all of the above competencies and apply them appropriately in a general practice setting.
	It is, therefore, the responsibility of the JCPTGP to assess the impact of the revised National Institute for Clinical Excellence referral guidelines for suspected cancer and adapt postgraduate general practitioner training accordingly.

Care Homes

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds are available for the elderly in care homes in Northampton; and how many were available on average in (a) 2001 and (b) 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The table shows the number of places available for people aged 65 and over in residential and nursing homes in Northamptonshire, at 31 March for the years 1997 and 2001.
	
		Number of care home places for people aged 65 and over in Northamptonshire(50), 1997 and 2001 -- As at 31 MarchRounded numbers
		
			  Residential Nursing2,3 
		
		
			 1997 2,870 — 
			 2001 2,920 1,640 
		
	
	Notes:
	(50) Figures for residential care are for Northamptonshire local authority and for nursing care they are for Northamptonshire health authority
	(51) Nursing home figures include places in general nursing homes, mental nursing homes and private hospitals and clinics.
	(52) Information is not available by age band at health authority level for 1997.
	Data for Northampton are not centrally available.
	I understand from the chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that figures for later years were collected by the National Care Standards Commission, and now CSCI, but comparable details are not available.

Chiropody

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of time patients have to wait between regular chiropody appointments is, broken down by primary care trust.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not collected centrally.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (a) in Burnley, (b) within the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust and (c) within the East Lancashire NHS Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department has no plans to institute special data collection exercises for specific diseases, conditions, syndromes or injuries.
	Central monitoring and reporting is limited to that information needed to demonstrate progress against the targets set out in "National Standards, Local Action: Health and Social care Standards and Planning Framework 2005/06–2007/08", published by the Department on 21 July 2004; and for contractual purposes. Additional monitoring is kept to a minimum in favour of local performance management systems, exception reporting and independent inspections.
	The report of the independent chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy working group, published in January 2002, estimated a population prevalence of around 0.2 to 0.4 per cent. in adults and around 0.07 per cent. in children. It made no analysis of regional variations.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health where chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis-diagnosed patients (a) in Burnley, (b) within the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust and (c) within the East Lancashire NHS Trust receive treatment; what the furthest distance an individual in these areas has to travel to access specialist services; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: We do not hold information centrally on the treatments and rehabilitation services available locally to patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from (a) chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) sufferers in Burnley, (b) CFS/ME sufferers within the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust and (c) CFS/ME sufferers within the East Lancashire NHS Trust, (d) Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust and (e) the East Lancashire NHS Trust regarding (i) the levels of service provision and (ii) access to services for CFS/ME; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: We are not aware of formal representations from people in the towns and trusts mentioned. There is regular correspondence to the Secretary of State, Ministers and the Chief Medical Officer around service provision for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what provision (a) East Lancashire NHS Trust and (b) Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust have for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis services; what specific funding they receive to deliver these services; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what referral mechanisms are in place for (a) East Lancashire NHS Trust and (b) Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust to access chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis centres and support teams in the region; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: From April 2005, funding has been granted to create a specialist multidisciplinary team for the geographical area of Lancashire and South Cumbria, which includes East Lancashire and Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale primary care trusts. Children and young people with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy will be managed by local community paediatric services, supported by the two clinical network co-ordinating centres in Manchester and Liverpool. Lancashire and Cumbria have been allocated £115,000 to develop the service.

Continuing Care

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people received fully funded NHS continuing care in each year since 1997, broken down by strategic health authority; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of people receiving National Health Service continuing care in 2002–03 and 2003–04, broken down by strategic health authority (SHA), is shown in the table. The move to SHA took place in 2002. Therefore, it is not possible to provide data broken down by SHA preceding this date.

Continuing Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the 7.2 per cent. increase in health spending announced by the Chancellor on 12 July his Department expects to deploy to meet the cost of NHS continuing care.

Stephen Ladyman: The spending review statement by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, confirmed the Government's commitment to high and sustained levels of growth in investment for the national health service. The public service agreement published as part of the spending review and the departmental publication, "Health and Social Care Standards and Planning Guidance 2005–06 to 2007–08", set the priorities for investment during the next planning period. In support of these objectives, we plan to allocate the majority of NHS funding directly to primary care trusts and so maximise local flexibility in meeting these priorities.

Continuing Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assumptions his Department made about the change in the numbers of people needing intensive home care and home care during the Spending Review period announced by the Chancellor on 12 July; and how much of the planned increase in social care spending he expects will be deployed to allow for an expansion in domiciliary services as a result.

Stephen Ladyman: One of the Department's public service agreement targets states that, by March 2008, the number of people supported intensively to live independently at home, as a proportion of all those supported intensively at home or in residential care, should increase to 34 per cent.; increasing the proportion of older people being supported to live in their own home by one per cent. annually in 2007 and 2008.
	The Spending Review settlement announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 12 July, was based on forecast increases in pay and prices, and increases in demand from demographic changes. It is for local authorities to decide how best to deploy the services available.

Continuing Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 15 June 2004, Official Report, column 901W, on NHS Continuing Care (Recompense), when the review of those wrongly denied NHS continuing care was commissioned; when it was submitted to Ministers; when it is expected to report back; and what the remit of the review was.

Stephen Ladyman: As I stated in my answer of 15 June, strategic health authorities (SHAs) are completing their reviews of cases where individuals may have been wrongly denied national health service continuing care and I will make a statement on the number of retrospective reviews completed and the number of individuals eligible for recompense as soon as that information is available. The independent review of the provision and understanding of NHS-funded continuing care within nine SHAs is a separate matter. The report has been completed and the Department is currently considering its conclusions.

Departmental Publications (Storage)

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many departmental publications are in storage; and where they are located.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has approximately 40.4 million items stored at its main distributor, Prolog in Nottingham; 2.5 million items stored with EC Logistics in Hayes, Middlesex; 290,000 items at MM Group in Ashby de la Zouch, and 7,000 items at Brian Manktelow Ltd. in London.

Diabetes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital accident and emergency departments (a) stock both animal and human insulin and (b) inquire whether the diabetes patient has a preference for one or the other.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.

Diabetes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines are in place at primary care level to offer diabetes patients a choice between animal and human insulin (a) at first diagnosis of diabetes and (b) on occurrence of the patient suffering from side effects of animal or human insulin.

Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence issued advice in 2002 on the management of blood glucose in type 2 diabetes and the management of type 1 diabetes in children, young people and adults, issued in 2004. This advice states that patient preference should form part of the choice of insulin type and regimen.

Diabetes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost is to the general practitioner of a patient being prescribed (a) animal and (b) human insulin.

Rosie Winterton: The cost of prescribing insulin is not direct to general practitioners, as all prescribing is funded from the unified budgets of primary care trusts.

Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings he has had with his EU counterparts to discuss co-operation on research on diabetes.

Rosie Winterton: None. However, the Department, with the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust is funding a pan-European study on diabetes. The ADDITION study is a population-based screening study for undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes and is taking place in Denmark, the Netherlands, Cambridge and surrounding counties and Leicester.

Diagnostic and Treatment Centres

Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) anticipated construction cost, (b) date for start of construction and (c) date for completion is of each diagnostic and treatment centre already completed or in development in March.

John Hutton: Capital investment of circa. £140 million has been made in the 27 treatment centres that are open and run and managed by the national health service. In addition, the NHS is contracting with the independent sector for the provision of surgical procedures rather than new physical capacity. In total, we expect there to be around 80 treatment centres open by the end of 2005.

Domiciliary Care

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many domiciliary care providers have met the registration standards.

Stephen Ladyman: I understand from the chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that, as of 31 August 2004, there were 3,018 domiciliary care agencies registered with the CSCI.

Environmental Management

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average score for the controls assurance standard on environmental management has been in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: The average scores for controls assurance standard on environmental management were:
	
		
			  
		
		
			 2000–01 33.6 
			 2001–02 35.5 
			 2002–03 39.2 
			 2003–04 49.0 
		
	
	Scores were not collected prior to 2000–01. From 1 August 2004, key controls assurance standards were incorporated into Standards for Better Healthcare and the risk management process will be managed locally using the existing assurance framework.

Free Eye Tests

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many old age pensioners in the Great Yarmouth constituency have benefited from the introduction of free eye tests.

Stephen Ladyman: Figures for the number of sight tests by constituency or by the number of old age pensioners are not collected centrally.
	The total number of national health service sight tests paid for patients aged 60 and over in Great Yarmouth Primary Care Trust (PCT) for the year 2003–04 was 13,720. However, some patients aged 60 and over will be eligible for sight tests for other reasons as well; for example, on income grounds. The classification for such patients will depend on the patient and the practitioner.
	Sight tests cannot be equated to the numbers of patients. Although most people do not come back for a sight test within the year, some patients suffering from medical conditions are advised to have re-examinations sooner.

Free Health Tests (Pensioners)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of providing an annual (a) chiropody assessment and (b) diabetes check to pensioners.

Stephen Ladyman: It is for local service providers to estimate the cost of any changes to local services which they might be considering.

GP Access Target

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients were seen by a general practitioner within the 48-hour general practitioner access target in (a) Suffolk and (b) the Bury St. Edmunds constituency in the last year.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, the percentage of patients able to be offered an appointment with a general practitioner within the 48-hour general practitioner access target for Suffolk and the Bury St. Edmunds constituency is shown as follows.
	1. Central Suffolk Primary Care Trust (PCT)—100 per cent, (as at July 2004).
	2. Suffolk West PCT (which serves Bury St. Edmunds)—100 per cent., (as at July 2004).

GP Access Target

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average wait for an appointment to see (a) the general practitioner with whom an individual is registered and (b) another general practitioner in the practice with which an individual is registered, was in the last period for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The Department does not hold data on actual waiting times for appointments with general practitioners. It collects data on the availability of appointments to monitor progress towards the primary care access target. These show that, in July 2004, some 98 per cent. of the population could be seen by a GP within two working days.

Head Injury Rehabilitation

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Health Select Committee's Third Report of Session 2000–01, on Head Injury Rehabilitation; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: We have taken various actions to improve services for patients with head injury. We commissioned the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to prepare guidelines for the triage, assessment, investigation and early management of head injuries in infants, children and adults in June 2003. The guidelines contain recommendations about when it is appropriate to admit patients to hospital following a head injury, what level of care they should receive and correct protocols for transferring patients to specialist head/brain injury units.
	The British Society for Rehabilitation Medicine also published guidelines, Rehabilitation following acquired brain injury; national clinical guidelines, last December. These outline the general principles of service provision and specific advice on the clinical management of patients with acquired brain injury. The guidelines were produced to inform the national service framework (NSF) for long term conditions.
	The NSF for long term conditions will focus on improving services for people with neurological conditions. It will recommend improvements in standards, care and support that will benefit everyone with a neurological condition.
	We are committed to publishing the framework as soon as possible.

Headed Notepaper

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of printing Department of Health headed notepaper was in (a) 1996–97 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 19 July 2004
	The costs of printing departmental headed notepaper in 1996–97 can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Costs for the period 2003 to June 2004 were £2,099.

Health Promotion (Older People)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to invest in health promotion among older people; and what initiatives for older people have taken place in this area over the last two years.

Stephen Ladyman: The national service framework for older people focused on the promotion of health and active life in old age. The Health Development Agency has produced an "advocacy tool" to enable local health and social care services appreciate the importance and make the case for improving health and well-being in midlife and older age.
	The needs of older people have been part of the development and services offered through healthy living centres, local exercise pilot sites and the development of learning through the healthy communities collaborative programme. This work has been supported further through actions that incorporate a preventative approach into the development of stroke and mental health services and integrated falls services. Recognising the broad nature of factors that contribute to older people's sense of independence and well-being, we have also worked across Government to encourage active ageing based on council-wide strategies involving transport, leisure, education and other services.
	Our consultation, "Choosing Health? A consultation on action to improve people's health", ended on 28 June 2004. Over 2,200 responses have been received and are now being analysed. These cover a wide range of topics. We shall build on the consultation responses as we prepare our White Paper on improving people's health, which we plan to publish in the autumn.

Hearing Aids

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost per patient is of (a) an externally-worn hearing aid and (b) a hearing aid fitted to be internally worn.

Rosie Winterton: There are a number of hearing aid types available under the national health service national framework for the supply of hearing aid products. For behind-the-ear hearing aids, prices are in the range of £67 to £195 for digital aids and £31 to £125 for analogue aids. In-the-ear hearing aid prices are in the range of £54 to £66 for analogue aids. These prices are for supply of a single hearing aid only and do not include the costs associated with the provision of the hearing aid service.

Hearing Aids

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what date internally-worn hearing aids will be fitted to all NHS patients for whom they are suitable and who request them.

Stephen Ladyman: All audiology departments in England will routinely be fitting digital hearing aids by March 2005 to patients who require them.
	There are no plans for the national health service to supply in-the-ear hearing aids routinely to patients.

Hospital Hygiene/Infection Control

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what independent inspections are undertaken of hospital hygiene management programmes; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: Responsibility for reviewing the performance of national health service trusts rests with the Healthcare Commission. A new inspection process for monitoring against the new healthcare standards will commence from next year.
	In addition, infection control protocols will be inspected as part of the clinical negligence scheme for trusts.

Hospital Hygiene/Infection Control

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assistance has been given since 19 March 1997 to the (a) development and (b) use in hospitals of new (i) paints and (ii) cleaning products able to kill known microbes; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The choice of paints and cleaning products for use in hospitals is decided locally by individual national health service trusts. We have set up a rapid review process to assess products that make claims about their efficacy to prevent or control healthcare associated infections. However, products to destroy these micro-organisms are already available and it is the consistent use of good infection control practice that needs to be improved.

Hospital Hygiene/Infection Control

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS hospital trust (a) Chairmen, (b) Chief Executives and (c) other board members have received training in administering hygiene and infection control regimes.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not held centrally.

Hospital Hygiene/Infection Control

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) representations he has received and (b) evidence he has collected regarding the effect of advance publication of hospital cleaning target specifications on the cleanliness of hospitals.

John Hutton: Since 2000, the patient environment action team (PEAT) programme and the national standards of cleanliness for the National Health Service have been introduced.
	As a result of the PEAT inspections; the introduction of the national standards of cleanliness; the investment of £68 million and the efforts of the NHS, standards have risen from a position where, in autumn 2000, only a little over 20 per cent. of hospitals were assessed as having good standards of cleanliness to one where nearly 80 per cent. were assessed as good and the remainder assessed by PEAT as acceptable. We consider that these changes have been important factors in raising standards across the NHS over the past four years, but recognise further improvements are needed.
	No representations have been received specifically on this issue.

Mental Health

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2004, Official Report, column 1275W, on mental health, what percentage of NHS trusts provide single-sex accommodation for unplanned admissions.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not collected centrally.
	National health service trusts should make every effort to ensure that all patients are cared for in single-sex accommodation. There may be occasions when the use of mixed sex accommodation is unavoidable. Hospitals will not turn patients away because a bed in a single-sex area is not available, and nor would we expect them to.
	Emergency admissions may sometimes be placed in an area that houses both male and female patients. This is not ideal; but it is sometimes necessary, given that the NHS deals with almost four million emergency admissions each year.
	Guidance on maintaining patient privacy and dignity issued to the service in 1997 advises that patients admitted under emergency procedures should be transferred into appropriate single-sex accommodation at the earliest possible opportunity; but at least within 48 hours. Where the use of mixed-sex accommodation is unavoidable, hospitals should have in place clear operational policies that minimise the impact of this situation until the patient can be moved to accommodation that is more appropriate.

Mental Health

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been taken to assist carers of patients with advanced Alzheimer's disease in Romsey.

Stephen Ladyman: All carers, including those caring for people with dementia, are entitled to an assessment to determine their needs as carers and eligibility for support. The new Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 introduces new provisions that will ensure that carers are made aware of this right.
	The carers grant, worth £125 million this year, provides money for local councils to provide short breaks and services to cares to enable them to continue in their caring role. Carers are also entitled to cash payments for carers' services to enable them to purchase the type of support they require and promote a better quality of life.
	The Department has also revised and updated, "Who cares? Information and support for the carers of confused people."
	At a local level, the Eastleigh and Test Valley South Primary Care Trust, working with the Hampshire Partnership Trusts and the local social services, has developed a wide range of initiatives in both the acute and community setting which offer advice and support to patients with dementia, and their carers. This includes a carer's centre, jointly commissioned specialist services for carers provided by Southampton MIND, and regular carer's education and support sessions which are run by the local memory assessment and research centre.

Mental Health

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the availability of drugs for treating advanced Alzheimer's disease in Romsey;
	(2)  how much was spent by the NHS on drug treatments for advanced Alzheimer's disease patients in Romsey in the latest year for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many advanced Alzheimer's disease patients are being treated in the Romsey constituency.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of advanced Alzheimer's disease patients being treated by individual primary care trusts (PCTs) is not collected centrally.
	Data on the number of prescription items dispensed in the community and the net ingredient cost are collected by the Prescription Pricing Authority. The total number of prescription items dispensed for dementia drugs and the net ingredient costs of these drugs, in the area covered by Eastleigh and Test Valley South PCT in 2003–04 is shown in the table. It is not possible to provide a breakdown for expenditure on drug treatments for advanced Alzheimer's patients for Eastleigh and Test Valley South PCT.
	
		Total number of prescription items and net ingredient cost for "Drugs for Dementia" (BNF 4.11, Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease) dispensed in the community for Eastleigh and Test Valley South PCT in 2003–04
		
			  Number of prescription items (thousand) Net ingredient cost (£000) 
		
		
			 Eastleigh and Test Valley South PCT 2.9 298.0 
			 England total 392.7 34,217.0 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. PCA data covers all prescription items that are dispensed in the community in England. PCA data does not include items dispensed in hospitals or private prescriptions.
	2. Drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease are classified in the British National Formulary section 4.11 (Drugs for Dementia) and include the drugs Donepezil, Rivastigmine, Galantamine and Memantine.
	3. Information on the number of patients receiving prescriptions for these drugs is not available, but numbers of prescription items of all prescriptions dispensed in the community in Eastleigh and Test Valley South PCT (this is not necessarily the same as where the drugs were prescribed) and the net ingredient cost is provided.
	4. Prescriptions are written on a prescription form. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item.
	5. The net ingredient cost is the basic cost of a drug. This cost does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charge income.
	Source:
	Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) data from the Prescription Pricing Authority.
	The Department has not made an assessment of the availability of drugs for treating advanced Alzheimer's disease in Romsey. It is for PCTs, in conjunction with strategic health authorities, to ensure that services meet local needs.

Mental Health

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the resources available to Alzheimer's patients.

Stephen Ladyman: Funding for the development of treatment and care for people with Alzheimer's disease is not identified separately, but is part of general allocations to local health and social care organisations. It is for local primary care trusts, in partnership with other local national health service and social care organisations, to assess the needs of the local population and meet them from general funding allocations.
	The Government is committed to improving standards of health and social care and people with Alzheimer's disease will benefit from the new investment that is being made available to support this commitment. For the NHS, there is an annual average funding increase of 7.5 per cent. above inflation over the five years 2003–04 to 2007–08. This is now the largest ever sustained increase in NHS funding. There have also been substantial increases in the level of funding provided for social services in recent years. Social services resources will increase by an annual average of 6 per cent. in real terms from 2003–04 to 2005–06. These significant funding increases will help provide new and better health and social care services for people with Alzheimer's disease.

Mental Health

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Alzheimer's disease patients are being treated in Norwich; what the total spending on drugs available on the NHS for Alzheimer's disease was in Norwich in the last year for which figures are available; what assessment he has made of the availability of drugs for moderately-severe to severe Alzheimer's disease in Norwich; how much was spent by the NHS on drug treatments for advanced Alzheimer's disease patients in Norwich in the last year for which figures are available; and what measures have been taken to assist carers of patients with advanced Alzheimer's disease in Norwich.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on the number of advanced Alzheimer's disease patients being treated by individual primary care trusts (PCTs) is not collected centrally.
	Data on the number of prescription items dispensed in the community and the net ingredient costs is collected by the Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA). The total number of prescription items dispensed for dementia drugs and the net ingredient costs of these drugs, in the area covered by Norwich PCT in 2003–04 is shown in the table. It is not possible to provide a breakdown for expenditure on drug treatments for advanced Alzheimer's patients in Norfolk.
	
		Total number of prescription items and net ingredient cost for "Drugs for Dementia" (BNF 4.11, treatment of Alzheimer's disease) dispensed in the community for selected PCTs—2003–04
		
			  Number of prescription items Net ingredient cost 
		
		
			 Norwich PCT 1,408 111,272 
			 England total 392,652 34,217,012 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. PCA data covers all prescription items that are dispensed in the community in England. PCA data does not include items dispensed in hospitals or private prescriptions.
	2. Drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease are classified in the British National Formulary section 4.11 (Drugs for Dementia) and include the drugs Donepezil, Rivastigmine, Galantamine and Memantine.
	3. Information on the number of patients receiving prescriptions for these drugs is not available, but numbers of prescription items of all prescriptions dispensed in the community in Norwich PCT (this is not necessarily the same as where the drugs were prescribed) and the net ingredient cost is provided.
	4. Prescriptions are written on a prescription form. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item.
	5. The net ingredient cost is the basic cost of a drug. This cost does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charge income.
	Source:
	Prescription cost analysis (PCA) data from the PPA.
	The Department has not made an assessment of the availability of drugs for treating advanced Alzheimer's disease in Norwich. It is for PCTs, in conjunction with strategic health authorities (SHAs), to ensure that services meet local needs.
	Norfolk Suffolk and Cambridge SHA has advised that all patients who are prescribed medication for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease are assessed by a consultant for four months. If the medication is beneficial then the patient's general practitioner takes over responsibility for prescribing, with the option to discontinue the medication if it is not producing benefits for the patient, or his/her carer, at any time.

Mental Health

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been taken to assist carers of patients with advanced Alzheimer's disease in (a) the UK and (b) Dartford.

Stephen Ladyman: All carers, including those caring for people with dementia, are entitled to an assessment to determine their needs as carers and eligibility for support. The new Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 introduces new provisions that will ensure that carers are made aware of this right.
	The carers grant, worth £125 million this year, provides money for local councils to provide short breaks and services to carers to enable them to continue in their caring role. Carers are also entitled to cash payments for carers' services to enable them to purchase the type of support they require and promote a better quality of life.
	The Department has also revised and updated Who cares? Information and support for the carers of confused people.
	Matters relating to Scotland and Wales are matters for the devolved administration. Whilst the institutions in Northern Ireland are dissolved, responsibility rests with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office.
	There are two new local initiatives in Dartford. Firstly, the provision of 10 residential care beds specifically for the assessment and treatment of dementia. Secondly, there is an intensive domiciliary care scheme that offers patients and their carers an opportunity to choose the kind of support they receive.

Midwives

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives are registered in the West Midlands.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not held centrally, but is available directly from the Nursing and Midwifery Council, which is an independent statutory regulatory body.

Ministerial Conference (Care Issues)

Phil Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the purposes were of the ministerial conference on 26 to 27 May on care issues; and if he will list those invited to attend.

Stephen Ladyman: Central Government Departments are required to produce pay and workforce strategies in respect of the public services workforces that they cover. The social care workforce is covered predominantly by three Departments; the Department of Health, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
	The social care workforce conference was organised by the Department of Health to bring together stakeholders in the development of the social care workforce to share knowledge and to reflect on and inform the revision of the Department's national social care workforce strategy in relation to recruitment, development and rewards.
	Over the past year, most parts of the national infrastructure that are accountable for the social care workforce have experienced significant change. In the Department of Health, a major reorganisation has created a new workforce directorate that has joined health and social care workforce development functions into new teams. Children's social care policy has moved to a new children and families directorate in the DfES and new people are engaged in taking forward the proposals in the Green Paper, Every child matters. Key regulatory institutions, the National Care Standards Commission and the Social Services Inspectorate, have merged into the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). The proposed introduction of a sector skills council is also having an impact on the social care employers infrastructure.
	The conference had the dual purpose of providing an early opportunity for the many new people to meet and share perspectives, and then to consider with the Government Ministers with central responsibilities how future strategy should be shaped and partnership managed.
	Invitations were sent to the following people:
	
		
			  Title First name Surname Organisation 
		
		
			 1. Mr James Churchill ARC 
			 2. Professor Gillian Slater Bournemouth University 
			 3. Mr Ian Johnston British Association of Social Workers (BASW 
			 4. Ms Julia Hurst Bupa Care Services 
			 5. Mr Peter Ludford Bupa Care Services 
			 6. Mr Oliver Thomas Bupa Care Services 
			 7. Professor Peter Beresford Centre for Citizen Participation 
			 8. Mrs Sheelagh Richards College of Occupational Therapists 
			 9. Mr David Behan Commission for Social Care Inspection 
			 10. Ms Denise Platt CSCI 
			 11. Mr Paul Harper Department for Education and Skills 
			 12. Mr Dominic Hudson Department for Education and Skills 
			 13. Mr Tom Jeffery Department for Education and Skills 
			 14. Ms Judy Leavesley Department of 
			 15. Dr Jeanette Pugh Department for Education and Skills 
			 16. Mr Steve Catling Department of Health 
			 17. Mr Andrew Foster Department of Health 
			 18. Dr Carol Lupton Department of Health 
			 19. Ms Anne Mercer Department of Health 
			 20. Mr Craig Muir Department of Health 
			 21. Mr Andrew Nash Department of Health 
			 22. Ms Melanie Newman Department of Health 
			 23. Professor Anthony Sheehan Department of Health 
			 24. Mr Martin Staniforth Department of Health 
			 25. Mrs Janis Stout Department of Health 
			 26. Mr Lionel Took Department of Health 
			 27. Ms Pat Nicholls Department of Health 
			 28. Mrs Sue Brennan Department of Health 
			 29. Mr Rob Webster Department of Health 
			 30. Ms Joan Munro Employers Organisation for Local Government 
			 31. Councillor John Stocks Employers Organisation for Local Government 
			 32. Mr Mike Walker Employers Organisation for Local Government 
			 33. Miss Ann Mackay English Community Care Association 
			 34. Ms Lynne Berry General Social Care Council 
			 35. Mr Rodney Brooke General Social Care Council 
			 36. Mr John Sargent Greater Manchester WDC 
			 37. Mr Andrew Crook H M Treasury 
			 38. Miss Lucy French H M Treasury 
			 39. Mr Nigel Druce Improvement and Development Agency 
			 40. Professor Michael Preston-Shoot JUC-SWEC University of London 
			 41. Mr Peter Huxley Kings College London 
			 42. Professor Jill Manthorpe Kings College London 
			 43. Mr Neil Dhruev Leicestershire Partnership Trust 
			 44. Mr Vie Citarella LGA 
			 45. Mr Tony Hunter Liverpool City Council 
			 46. Ms Vivienne Walters Local Government Association 
			 47. Ms Catherine Mangal Local Government Association 
			 48. Ms Jenny Goodall London Borough of Brent 
			 49. Ms Christine Hawes London Borough of Richmond upon Thames 
			 50. Mr Des Kelly National Care Forum 
			 51. Mrs Sheila Scott National Care Homes Association 
			 52. Mrs Nadra Ahmed National Care Homes Association 
			 53. Ms Erica De'Ath NCVCCO 
			 54. Mr Brendan Johnston National Ireland Social Care Council 
			 55. Ms Husna Mortuza Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 
			 56. Mr Geoffrey Tierney Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 
			 57. Mr Michael Leadbetter Practice Learning Taskforce 
			 58. Mr Frank Ursell Registered Nursing Home Association 
			 59. Mr Alistair Gaw Scottish Executive 
			 60. Ms Ann Christina Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic Health Authority 
			 61. Mr John Rogers Skills for Health 
			 62. Mr Richard Clough Association 
			 63. Ms Sheila Barrett Social Care Institute of Excellence 
			 64. Mr Don Brand Social Care Institute of Excellence 
			 65. Ms Jane Campbell Social Care Institute of Excellence 
			 66. Mr Bill Kilgallon Social Care Institute of Excellence 
			 67. Ms Sue Lightup St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 68. Mr Richard Banks Topss England 
			 69. Mr Arthur Keefe Topss England 
			 70. Mrs Andrea Rowe Topss England 
			 71. Mr Francis Ward Topss England 
			 72. Mr Bill McClimont UK Home Care Association 
			 73. Mrs Lesley Rimmer UK Home Care Association 
			 74. Mr Owen Davies Unison 
			 75. Ms Jo Goodship University of Portsmouth 
			 76. Professor Judith Lathlean University of Southampton 
			 77. Ms Maggie Blyth Youth Justice Board 
			 78. Mr David Jones DfES 
			 79. Mr David Leay NATOPSS 
			 80. Ms Fiona Woodward Unison

MRSA

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he gives to ambulance authorities on (a) combating MRSA and (b) infection control generally; and what additional resources he plans to make available for this purpose.

Melanie Johnson: Management action and resources for infection control are matters for individual national health service trusts. Each trust will have an infection control policy which should comply with current best practice and have access to local advice. Healthcare organisations including ambulance trusts should have systems in place to minimise the risk to patients from healthcare associated infections. Health Service Circular 2000/002 required all NHS trusts, including ambulance trusts to take action to strengthen prevention and control of infection, to secure appropriate health care services for patients with infection and improve surveillance of infection. This was reinforced by "Winning Ways—Working together to reduce Hospital Acquired Infection in England".

MRSA

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the isolation procedures set down by the Department to combat MRSA and which were operative as at 19 March 1997 are still operative; when the procedures were last brought to the attention of hospitals; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  in what circumstances hospitals are required to provide strict isolation for MRSA sufferers; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: Decisions on isolation are made locally. The guidance issued in 1995 is still in place and we require national health service organisations to regularly assess their needs for isolation facilities. Health Service Circular 2000/002 on the management and control of hospital infection, required trusts to undertake a risk assessment to determine appropriate provision of isolation facilities within each trust.
	"Winning Ways—Working together to reduce healthcare associated infection in England", published in December 2003 requires chief executives to ensure that there is appropriate provision of isolation facilities within their healthcare facilities.

MRSA

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether hospitals are required to destroy bed linen of MRSA sufferers after use; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The destruction of bed linen is not necessary as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is removed by normal laundering.

MRSA

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the results were of the national surveillance by 40 hospitals in respect of MRSA announced by the Minister on 19 March 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The results were used to develop the nosocomial infection national surveillance service, which was a voluntary and confidential reporting system. This surveillance system aimed to help hospitals benchmark their own performance and investigate their own infection rates. It had two module hospital acquired blood stream infections, which has been replaced by the mandatory surveillance system, and surgical site infections. Orthopaedic surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance is now part of the mandatory system and the rest of SSI module was developed into the surgical site infections surveillance system.

MRSA

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he proposes to introduce to tackle MRSA in nursing homes; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Implementation of our action plan, "Winning Ways—Working together to reduce Healthcare Associated Infection in England", will reduce infections in both hospital and community settings. This report will raise standards by reinforcing the need to follow existing good practice, such as the public health medicine environmental group guidelines on the control of infection in residential and nursing homes, published in 1996 and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance, "Infection control; prevention of healthcare associated infection in primary and community care", published in 2003. In addition, we have asked the public health medicine and environmental group to update the existing guidance on infection control in nursing homes.

Nappies

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Department has received a written request from the Nappy Alliance seeking a meeting to discuss policy and practice in the use of nappies within NHS facilities.

Stephen Ladyman: pursuant to his reply, 21 June 2004, Official Report, column 1279W
	I regret that my previous reply was incorrect. It should read as follows:
	The Department of Health received a written request from the Nappy Alliance for a meeting in a letter dated 6 May 2004.

NHS Agency Staff

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was spent by the NHS on agency staff in Northampton south in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The information for the national health service organisations serving the Northampton south area is shown in the following table.
	
		Expenditure on total non NHS staff: 1997–98 to 2002–03(£)
		
			 Trust name 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 279,396 560,994 668,454 949,289 2,173,143 3,254,519 
			 Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust 147,376 106,148 208,977 458,423 903,261 1,346,960 
			 Northampton Community Healthcare NHS Trust 803,837 1,221,668 1,057,035 1,266,031 n/a n/a 
			 Rockingham Forest NHS Trust 265,930 902,672 806,521 1,384,405 n/a n/a 
			 Northampton Healthcare NHS Trust n/a n/a n/a n/a 4,121,279 4,649,625 
			 Daventry and South Northamptonshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) n/a n/a n/a 63,534 67,404 100,000 
			 Northampton PCT n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 202,315 
		
	
	Sources:
	1. Annual financial returns of NHS trusts, 1997–98 to 2002–03.
	2. Annual financial returns of PCTs, 2000–01 to 2002–03
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): Medical and dental staff, and Non-Medical within Northampton General Hospital National Health Service Trust -- Number (headcount)
		
			  As at 30 September each year 
			  1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 
		
		
			 Medical and Dental Staff (Doctors) 226 241 248 264 283 
			   
			 Non-Medical Staff (Nurses) n/a 2,628 2,601 2,581 2,799 
			 Of which  
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff n/a 1,411 1,414 1,427 1,548 
			 Qualified nurses n/a 1,141 1,149 1,156 1,233 
			 Qualified Scientific and Technical staff n/a 270 265 271 315 
			   
			 Support to clinical staff n/a 893 876 766 879 
			 Support to doctors and nurses n/a 738 724 616 719 
			 Support to Scientific and Technical staff n/a 155 152 150 160 
			   
			 NHS infrastructure support n/a 324 311 388 372 
			 Central functions n/a 120 130 125 120 
			 Hotel property and estate staff n/a 145 127 204 193 
			 Managers and senior managers n/a 59 54 59 59 
		
	
	
		Number (headcount)
		
			  As at 30 September each year 
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Medical and Dental Staff (Doctors) 283 279 293 298 312 
			   
			 Non-Medical Staff (Nurses) 2,805 2,869 3,023 3,101 3,366 
			 Of which  
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff 1,505 1,529 1,553 1,540 1,611 
			 Qualified nurses 1,192 1,192 1,202 1,180 1,237 
			 Qualified Scientific and Technical staff 313 337 351 360 374 
			   
			 Support to clinical staff 861 901 979 1,068 1,280 
			 Support to doctors and nurses 699 728 779 867 1,051 
			 Support to Scientific and Technical staff 162 173 200 201 229 
			 NHS infrastructure support 439 439 491 493 475 
			 Central functions 99 107 100 110 140 
			 Hotel property and estate staff 273 265 315 286 261 
			 Managers and senior managers 67 67 76 97 74 
		
	
	n/a—not applicable
	Sources:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census
	Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census

NHS Commercial Activity

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will (a) take steps to prevent the distribution within NHS hospitals of Bounty packs to mothers of newly-born children and (b) undertake an assessment of the environmental sustainability of the products contained in Bounty packs.

Stephen Ladyman: There are no plans to take steps to prevent the distribution of Bounty packs within National Health Service hospitals and no plans to undertake an assessment of the environmental sustainability of the products contained in the packs.

NHS Dentistry

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the progress of the NHS dentistry support team's work with primary care trusts in Gloucestershire;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the progress of the action plan to establish new dental practices in Gloucestershire.

Rosie Winterton: The national health service dentistry support team is working with West Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust (PCT). The PCT's dental action plan has been endorsed by the support team and will be published following the PCT's board meeting on 16 September.
	Additional recurrent funding of £400,000 has been allocated by the support team to the PCT to support the developments contained in its action plan.

NHS Dentistry

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices are offering NHS dental services in the London borough of Enfield; and what efforts are being made to increase their availability.

John Hutton: Data for numbers of dentists accepting new patients are not collected by London borough.
	The available information on practises accepting new patients is on the nhs.uk website at www.nhs.uk. The table shows the number of dentists in Enfield Primary Care Trust (PCT) accepting new patients.
	
		Number of dental practices in Enfield PCT accepting new national health service patients by type of patient as at 27 July 2004
		
			 Service Accepting new patients Total number of practices 
		
		
			   51 
			 Providing occasional NHS treatment to non registered patients 4 — 
			 Registering charge exempt adults for NHS treatment 21 — 
			 Registering charge paying adults for NHS treatment 22 — 
			 Registering children aged 0–18 years for NHS treatment 30 — 
		
	
	Note:
	Enfield PCT (as part of North Central London) has the highest general dental practitioner per 1,000 population ratio in the United Kingdom (=0.5).
	Enfield PCT recognises that practices are not always located in the areas of greatest need. As part of developing its commissioning strategy for dentistry, the PCT will look to increase the number of personal dental services in Enfield in 2004–05 and has already put aside space for a dental practice at the local investment finance trust Forest Road Primary Care Centre, Edmonton, in February 2006.

NHS Dentistry

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in the Colchester constituency provide NHS treatment; how many provided NHS treatment in 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Information is not collected by parliamentary constituency. However, there were 82 dentists providing National Health Service treatment in the Colchester Primary Care Trust area, which includes the Colchester constituency, in September 2003, the latest data available. In September 1997, there were 72 dentists. These numbers cover dentists working in the general dental service or personal dental service.

NHS Dentistry

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of NHS dentists in the Bury St. Edmunds constituency are registering new NHS patients.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not collected by Parliamentary constituency. However, there are 34 national health service dental practices in the Suffolk West Primary Care Trust area, which covers the Bury St. Edmunds constituency. Of these, 12, or 35.3 per cent., of the total, are registering children, eight, or 23.5 per cent., are registering charge exempt adults and six, or 17.6 per cent., are registering charge paying adults. In addition, one practice is providing occasional NHS treatment for non registered patients.
	Source:
	NHS.UK website.

NHS Dentistry

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have applied to become NHS dentists in each year since 2000 in Suffolk.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of entrants into national health service dentistry in each year since 2000 in Suffolk primary care trusts (PCTs) are shown in the table.
	
		
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Central Suffolk PCT area(53) 5 3 3 3 
			 Suffolk Coastal PCT area(54) 3 1 1 2 
			 Suffolk West PCT area(55) 8 14 16 10 
		
	
	(53) Figures for Central Suffolk are based on general dental service (GDS) contracts only. There are no personal dental service (PDS) dentists in this PCT area.
	(54) Figures for Suffolk Coastal are based on GDS contracts only. There are no PDS dentists in this PCT area.
	(55) Figures are based on GDS and PDS contracts.

NHS Denturists

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Department has to review the role of denturists within the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The practice of denturism is currently illegal in the United Kingdom, but the Department is working with the General Dental Council (GDC) to provide for the registration of appropriately trained clinical dental technicians (CDTs). On 30 July we issued for consultation a draft of an Order which, with other amendments to the Dentists Act 1984 to modernise the regulation of dentistry, would give the GDC the necessary powers. Comments on the draft are requested by 30 October and it will subsequently be laid before Parliament for debate under the affirmative procedure. Subject to approval, we expect the Order to come into force during 2005.

NHS Staff Vacancies

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff vacancies there were on average in the NHS in Northampton in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Department of Health Vacancies Survey, 1999–2004 
		
			  1999 2000 2001 
			 Northamptonshire HA (1999–2001) and Leicestershire, Three month vacancy rates and numbers 
			 Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA (2002–04) Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Number 
		
		
			 GP — — — 44 — 89 
			 Consultant and other doctors (excluding doctors in training) 3.30 9 (56)— (56)— 1.20 3 
			 All nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (excluding HA staff) 2.3 76 1.6 57 2.1 73 
			 All scientific, therapeutic and technical staff (excluding HA staff) 1.0 9 2.8 26 3.4 34 
			 All other staff (excluding HA staff) 1.8 43 0.4 9 0.4 9 
		
	
	
		
			  2002 2003 2004 
			 Northamptonshire HA (1999–2001) and Leicestershire, Three month vacancy rates and numbers 
			 Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA (2002–04) Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Number 
		
		
			 GP — (57)123 — (58)48 — — 
			 Consultant and other doctors (excluding doctors in training) 1.80 5 5.40 47 7.70 31 
			 All nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (excluding HA staff) 3.4 116 2.8 281 1.7 192 
			 All scientific, therapeutic and technical staff (excluding HA staff) 3.5 36 3.4 112 2.4 87 
			 All other staff (excluding HA staff) 0.2 4 0.6 47 1.2 97 
		
	
	GP information:
	(56) 2000 data not available.
	(57) In 2002, one HA in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland did not respond to the survey.
	(58) Vacancy numbers for Northamptonshire PCTs.
	Note:
	No figures for PCTs are available before 2003 as previous years vacancy numbers were collected from health authorities. Vacancy numbers for each year refer to the number of vacancies occurring in the 12 month period between 1 April and 31 March.

Northampton General Hospital

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) support staff were employed by Northampton General Hospital, in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Hospital, public health medicine and community health services (HCHS): medical and dental staff, and non-medical within Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust -- Number (headcount)
		
			  As at 30 September each year 
			  1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Medical and dental staff (doctors) 226 241 248 264 283 283 279 293 298 312 
			
			 Non-medical staff (nurses) n/a 2,628 2,601 2,581 2,799 2,805 2,869 3,023 3,101 3,366 
			 of which:   
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff n/a 1,411 1,414 1,427 1,548 1,505 1,529 1,553 1,540 1,611 
			 Qualified nurses n/a 1,141 1,149 1,156 1,233 1,192 1,192 1,202 1,180 1,237 
			 Qualified scientific and technical staff n/a 270 265 271 315 313 337 351 360 374 
			 Support to clinical staff n/a 893 876 766 879 861 901 979 1,068 1,280 
			 Support to doctors and nurses n/a 738 724 616 719 699 728 779 867 1,051 
			 Support to scientific and technical staff n/a 155 152 150 160 162 173 200 201 229 
			
			 NHS infrastructure support n/a 324 311 388 372 439 439 491 493 475 
			 Central functions n/a 120 130 125 120 99 107 100 110 140 
			 Hotel property and estate staff n/a 145 127 204 193 273 265 315 286 261 
			 Managers and senior managers n/a 59 54 59 59 67 67 76 97 74 
		
	
	Note:
	n/a denotes not applicable.
	Sources:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census.
	Department of Health non-medical workforce census.

Nurses

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many overseas nurses are employed in the University Hospital of Leicester.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not collected centrally.

Nurses

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many modern matrons have been appointed in the NHS since the NHS Plan was introduced; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The latest figures, taken from local development plan returns from trusts, indicate that, as at December 2003, there were 3,200 modern matrons employed in the national health service.

Nurses

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether community matrons will take precedence over senior district nurses in the general recruitment process.

John Hutton: It is for local national health service trusts to determine their local work force priorities and to recruit staff according to local need and national priorities. The Government has increased the number of nurses working in the NHS by 77,500 since 1997, which includes an increase of 25 per cent. in community service nurses.

Nurses

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on current staffing levels of his aim to recruit 3,000 community matrons.

John Hutton: It is expected that nurses with the skills and knowledge to take on the role of community matron will be recruited from a range of community, hospital and intermediate care settings, in particular district nursing. The introduction of community matrons will mean staffing working differently and more effectively and may not always require additional nursing staff.

Nurses

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of community matrons on staffing levels of social care professionals.

John Hutton: In order to deliver benefits for patients, community matrons will need to be able to assess patients medical, psychological and social care needs. This combination of skills is largely found in experienced nurses, rather than social care professionals. It is expected that social care professionals will form part of the multi-professional team that community matrons will work within.

Out-patient Access Targets

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the performance of health authorities in Great Yarmouth in meeting out-patient access targets since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority's (which covers the health economies of Great Yarmouth) performance on meeting out-patient access targets are shown in the table. The figures for 1997 are not available.
	
		Number of people waiting for out-patient treatment; over 13 and over 17 weeks
		
			 March: Over 13 weeks Over 17 weeks 
		
		
			 1998 17,859 n/a 
			 1999 21,517 n/a 
			 2000 19,183 n/a 
			 2001 15,429 n/a 
			 2002 10,797 n/a 
			 2003 5,366 1,685 
			 2004 2,556 0 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data prior to September 2001 have been converted to match current strategic health authority boundaries.
	2. Target: achieve a maximum wait of four months (17 weeks) for an out-patient appointment and reduce the number of over 13-week out-patient waiters by March 2004, as progress towards achieving a maximum wait of three months for an out-patient appointment by March 2005.
	Source:
	Care and health information portfolio factsheet.

Patient Environment and Assessment Team

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals were (a) put on special measures and (b) offered additional support following inspection by a Patient Environment and Assessment Team (PEAT) in each year since inspections began; and what the overall (i) PEAT score and (ii) star rating were in each case.

John Hutton: Since 2000, assessments of hospital cleanliness have been undertaken by patient environment action teams (PEATs). Following these assessments hospitals are allocated a rating on a 'traffic-light' scale—Red equals poor, Amber equals acceptable and Green equals good. Since August 2001, PEATs have confirmed that there are no hospitals where overall standards are less than acceptable.
	However, following the PEAT assessments in 2002, some hospitals were identified where, although overall acceptable levels had been achieved, it was felt that there were grounds for additional support to be provided to ensure that standards were maintained and any shortfalls identified remedied. This was also the case in 2003.
	In 2002, 51 hospitals were identified where such support was been deemed appropriate and in 2003 this number was 111. The PEAT rating for all of these hospitals was 'Amber'.
	The star rating process is applied to the aggregate performance of a trust, whereas the PEAT rating is applied to each hospital within a trust and it is therefore possible that a trust with an overall good star rating may have an individual site where cleanliness standards are a cause for concern.

PFI/PPP Contracts

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many contracts have been let by his Department in each financial year since 2001–02 to (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte and Touche, (c) KPMG and (d) Ernst and Young for advising his Department on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts; and what fees were paid in each case.

John Hutton: The table shows details of the number of contracts and fees paid to PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte and Touche, KPMG and Ernst and Young since 2001–02 by the Department for advising on the private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts.
	
		
			  PwC Deloitte and Touche KPMG Ernst and Young 
		
		
			 2001–02 
			 Number of contracts 1 0 2 (59)— 
			 Fees (£) 23,818 — 25,000 25,000 (59)— 
			  
			 2002–03 
			 Number of contracts 0 3 0 (59)— 
			 Fees (£) — 50,529 20,623 (60)21,803 0 (59)— 
			  
			 2003–04 
			 Number of contracts 0 2 1 (59)— 
			 Fees (£) — 189,772 71,557 58,321 (59)— 
			  
			 2004–05 
			 Number of contracts 0 0 1 (59)— 
			 Fees (£) — — 17,500 (59)— 
		
	
	(59) No contracts awarded.
	(60) Sub-contracted to Davis Langdon Everest.

PFI/PPP Contracts

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many contracts and what fees (a) Barclays, (b) the Royal Bank of Scotland, (c) UBS Warburg and (d) the Bank of Scotland received for advising his Department on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts in each financial year since 2001–02.

John Hutton: No contracts have been awarded to any of the companies listed in the question.

Press Officers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press officers are employed in his Department.

Rosie Winterton: There are 21 press officers presently employed in the Department.

Radioactivity (Public Health)

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission a study of cancer incidence in North Essex.

Stephen Ladyman: We have no current plans to commission a study of cancer incidence in North Essex. Indeed, in line with the "NHS Plan" and the "Shifting the Balance of Power" initiative to devolve funding decisions to the front line, it is now for primary care trusts, in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders, to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services, based on the specialised knowledge they have of the local community.

Recruitment Consultants

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent in (a) 1996–97 and (b) the last year for which figures are available on (i) head-hunters and recruitment consultants, (ii) management consultants, (iii) advertising consultants and (iv) public relations consultants.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 16 July 2004
	The detailed information requested is not held centrally. Expenditure by the Department on external consultancy services in each year from 1996–97 to 2003–04 is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Financial Year Expenditure (£ million) 
		
		
			 1996–97 14.699 
			 1997–98 12.694 
			 1998–99 7.332 
			 1999–2000 8.132 
			 2000–01 6.531 
			 2002–02 6.800 
			 2002–03 7.266 
			 2003–04 (61)10.031 
		
	
	(61) This is the latest figure included in the accounts, but the accounts have yet to be authorised.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Medical Research Council has identified rheumatoid arthritis as a priority area; and how much of its resources are going into (a) research programmes and (b) projects related to this disease.

Patricia Hewitt: I have been asked to reply.
	Arthritis and rheumatism is one of 12 disease specific research divisions of the Medical Research Council (MRC).
	The MRC spent £6.8 million in the FY 2002–03, on research into arthritis and rheumatism and much of this will be relevant to rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Government supports the inclusion of rheumatoid arthritis as a priority of research area in the next EU framework programme.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government has recently consulted on the European Union seventh research and development framework programme. Details are available on the Office of Science and Technology (OST) website at http://www.ost.gov.uk/ostinternational/fp7/index.html. Initial feedback will be published on the OST website shortly.
	The Government plans to produce a position paper on the seventh framework programme in early Autumn 2004. That paper will also be published on the OST website.

Scoliosis

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the incidence of scoliosis among teenagers; and what steps are being taken to develop appropriate treatment of the condition.

Stephen Ladyman: Scoliosis is a descriptive term rather than a specific diagnosis, which can be wide-ranging from simple to very complex conditions. Information is not collected centrally by the Department on the incidence of all types of scoliosis. However, it has been estimated that idiopathic adolescent scoliosis, which is one of the accepted classifications in which scoliosis can be the only finding, has an incidence of two per thousand children.
	A range of services for the treatment of scoliosis is available across the country, including spinal corrective surgery for children. A review of services for children with spinal deformity, including scoliosis, is being undertaken by a project group with wide stakeholder representation. The group, led by the North Central London Strategic Health Authority, produced its first report in May 2004 and is looking to take recommendations forward.

Suffolk West Primary Care Trust

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the current deficit is of Suffolk West Primary Care Trust; and what it has been in each of the last three years.

Stephen Ladyman: Suffolk West Primary Care Trust (PCT) overspend against the revenue resource limit (deficit) is shown as follows. It is not possible to provide a separate figure for 2001–02 as the PCT was then part of Suffolk health authority.
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 Financial position at year end 2002–03 1,581 
			 Financial position for year end 2003–04 4,423 
		
	
	Source:
	Audited summarisation schedules of the Suffolk West PCT.
	Suffolk West PCT is forecasting to break even at year end 2005.
	The audited information in respect of the 2004–05 financial position of all PCTs will be published in their individual annual accounts and will be available centrally in autumn 2005.

Vancomycin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what preventative measures his Department has taken against the threat of vancomycin resistant staphylococcus aureus to the NHS;
	(2)  what research his Government have conducted into the treatment against vancomycin resistant staphylococcus aureus;
	(3)  what contingency plans he has in place to control the spread of vancomycin resistant staphylococcus aureus in NHS hospitals.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 15 July 2004
	Minimising the development and spread of new strains such as vancomycin resistant staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) requires prudent prescribing of antibiotics as well as strict adherence to infection control measures. These measures are part of our action plan, "Winning Ways—Working Together to Reduce Healthcare Associated Infection in England".
	We are aware of three incidents of VRSA infection worldwide to date and all were susceptible to some alternative antibiotics. Hospital microbiology laboratories carry out sensitivity tests on their isolates and the health protection agency monitors isolates of staphylococcus aureus for vancomycin resistance to detect any new cases of VRSA and to ensure that these very rare microorganisms are not becoming more commonplace.

Vulnerable Adults

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to extend the protection of vulnerable adults list to (a) the NHS and (b) day care services; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The protection of vulnerable adults (PoVA) list will be extended to the national health service as soon as the necessary changes can be made to the Care Standards Act 2000.
	Day care services do not fall within the scope of the PoVA scheme. This is because they are not regulated under the Care Standards Act 2000.

Vulnerable Adults

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whom he has consulted on the extension of the protection of vulnerable adults list to the NHS.

Stephen Ladyman: The consultation process on extending the protection of vulnerable adults scheme to the national health service has not yet begun. We intend to go out to consultation in the near future, but we also need to ensure that the proposals are consistent with the proposals for barring unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults emerging from the Bichard Inquiry.

Waiting Lists

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in the Northampton, South constituency, or the nearest relevant unit of population were waiting for NHS operations for longer than (a) 18 months, (b) 15 months, (c) 12 months, (d) nine months and (e) six months in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Patients waiting for elective admission: Provider based
		
			  Total number of patients Patients waiting for admission by months waiting 
			 Month end/Organisation waiting for admission 6–8 months 9–11 months 12–14 months 15–17 months Over 18 months 
		
		
			 March 1996   
			 Kettering General Hospital National Health Service Trust 5,991 889 424 15 1 0 
			 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 4,707 380 180 78 4 0 
			
			 March 1997   
			 Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust 6,432 1,106 640 0 0 0 
			 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 5,796 783 424 191 28 0 
			
			 March 1998   
			 Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust 7,492 1,141 715 201 100 0 
			 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 7,225 1,056 702 421 149 0 
			
			 March 1999   
			 Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust 5,910 863 543 245 8 0 
			 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 7,088 1,051 827 399 119 0 
			
			 March 2000   
			 Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust 5,818 750 362 235 77 0 
			 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 6,713 909 718 467 238 0 
			
			 March 2001   
			 Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust 5,944 727 360 151 28 0 
			 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 6,484 809 537 288 114 0 
			
			 March 2002   
			 Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust 5,522 771 402 176 0 0 
			 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 6,759 1,016 600 403 0 0 
			
			 March 2003   
			 Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust 5,515 939 222 0 0 0 
			 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 7,323 1,135 694 0 0 0 
			
			 March 2004   
			 Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust 4,435 536 0 0 0 0 
			 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 5,982 702 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Total number of patients Patients waiting for admission by months waiting 
			 Organisation waiting for admission 6–8 months 9–11 months Over 12 months 
		
		
			 Daventry and South Northamptonshire PCT 19 0 0 0 
			 Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust 4,420 467 0 0 
			 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 5,625 804 0 0

Waiting Lists

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average number of patients on (a) in-patient and (b) day case waiting lists was in Great Yarmouth in each year since 1997; and what the percentage change was in each year.

Stephen Ladyman: The average number of patients for Great Yarmouth Primary Care Trust (PCT) for in-patient and day case waiting lists, the latest data available, is shown in the table.
	
		Count of elective in-year admissions (waiting list and booked cases) and percentage changes for ordinary and day cases,1996–97 to 2002–03, PCT code (PCT of residence) = 5GT (Great Yarmouth) National Health Service Hospitals, England
		
			 Year In-year admissions ordinary Change (ordinary) percentage In-year admissions (day case) Change (day case) percentage In year admissions (ordinary plus day case) Change (ordinary plus day case) percentage 
		
		
			 1996–97 4,737  5,434  10,171  
			 1997–98 4,339 -8.4 5,594 2.9 9,933 -2.3 
			 1998–99 3,912 -9.8 6,368 13.8 10,280 3.5 
			 1999–2000 3,505 -10.4 6,287 -1.3 9,792 -4.7 
			 2000–01 3,389 -3.3 6,174 -1.8 9,563 -2.3 
			 2001–02 3,049 -10.0 4,452 -27.9 7,501 -21.6 
			 2002–03 3,328 9.2 4,883 9.7 8,211 9.5 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. An in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the datayear. Periods of care ongoing at the end of the datayear (unfinished admission episodes) are included. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	2. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
	Source:
	Hospital episode statistics (HES), Department of Health.

West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancelled operations there were in each of the last seven years in the West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of cancelled operations at the West Suffolk Hospital is shown in the table. However, it should be noted that the figures quoted at trust level only go back three years. Prior to that, the data was collected at health authority (HA) level only and they would not be comparable.
	
		West Suffolk Hospitals National Health Service Trust—Number of cancelled operations for non clinical reasons
		
			  Quarter Number of last minute cancellations for non clinical reasons in the quarter 
		
		
			 2003–04 4 183 
			 2003–04 3 124 
			 2003–04 2 78 
			 2003–04 1 40 
			 2002–03 4 43 
			 2002–03 3 11 
			 2002–03 2 74 
			 2002–03 1 66 
			 2001–02 4 145 
			 2001–02 3 122 
			 2001–02 2 14 
			 2001–02 1 81 
		
	
	Note:
	Data prior to 2001–02 collect at HA level only.
	Source:
	Department of Health dataset QMCO.

Winter Deaths

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce targets to reduce the number of winter deaths.

Rosie Winterton: There are no plans to introduce additional targets specifically to reduce the number of winter deaths. The Government are committed to decreasing the number of national targets imposed on the national health service and allowing more locally agreed targets. The document, "National Standards, Local action: Health and Social Care Standards and Planning Framework 2005–06 to 2007–08", published on 21 July 2004, has already set out the national targets for the next five years.
	However, there is an existing target to tackle influenza, one of the biggest seasonal killers. A target for influenza vaccination in those aged 65 and over has been set since 2000–01. In 2003–04, the target was that nationally over 70 per cent. of that age group would be vaccinated, and thanks to last year's successful 'flu immunisation campaign, this was exceeded, with 71 per cent. of those aged 65 or over being vaccinated. The 70 per cent. take-up target remains this year.
	In addition to the 'flu target, the Government have several other initiatives to reduce avoidable winter deaths. These include the "Keep Warm, Keep Wel1" campaign, which offers people advice on staying warm and keeping well in winter and winter fuel payments for older people, which help to keep warm those most susceptible to the cold weather.

Working Time Directive

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many (a) house officers, (b) senior house officers, (c) specialist registrars, (d) general practitioners, (e) consultants, (f) associate specialists, (g) staff grades and (h) clinical assistants have signed a formal opt-out from the Working Time Directive;
	(2)  how many (a) primary care trusts, (b) acute hospital trusts and (c) social care trusts have medical staff who have signed a formal opt-out from the Working Time Directive.

John Hutton: The Working Time Directive is a legal requirement on which implementation is being taken forward locally.
	Under Regulation 5 of the Working Time Regulations 1998, individuals are allowed to voluntarily agree in writing with their employer to exceed the maximum average weekly working time of 48 hours. As this is an agreement made locally, information on take-up is not held centrally.

Working Time Directive

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what evidence he has collated following the results from the Working Time Directive Pilots Programme on whether the NHS will be compliant with the European Working Time Directive on 1 August;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received on the ability of (a) anaesthetic, (b) maternity, (c) paediatric, (d) general surgical and (e) general medical services to comply with the European Working Time Directive.

John Hutton: Strategic health authorities are responsible for performance managing trust implementation of Working Time Directive (WTD) compliance for doctors in training from 1 August 2004. The Working Time Regulations have applied to all other national health service staff since 1998 and trusts are expected to comply with them in the same way as any other national legislation. The Department does not routinely collect information on compliance either by trust or by specialty.
	The vast majority of trusts are now fully compliant. A handful of trusts are having problems in securing compliance in a limited number of specialties.
	We are working in partnership with the British Medical Association, the Royal Colleges and the Modernisation Agency to support those trusts finding compliance particularly difficult. The Modernisation Agency WTD team offers expert advice and the sharing of good practice solutions throughout the NHS.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Savings Incentives

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the number of people eligible for means-tested benefits on incentives to save.

Malcolm Wicks: In its response last year to the Work and Pensions Select Committee's Third Report on The Future of UK Pensions, the Government recognised that it is important to improve our understanding of savings decisions and how savings incentives work.
	Eligibility for income related benefits is one of many factors likely to influence incentives to save. However these are complex questions and we want to engage with academic and other experts on how best to assess the influences on savings behaviour. The Government has established the independent Pensions Commission to monitor and keep under review the voluntary system of private pensions and long term savings.

Benefit Recipients

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who receive (a) income support and (b) pension credit also pay income tax; and what proportion this is of recipients of each benefit.

Chris Pond: The information is not available.

Christmas Bonus

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of increasing the pensioners' annual Christmas bonus to the equivalent of one week's state pension.

Malcolm Wicks: The cost of increasing the annual Christmas bonus to the equivalent of one week's state pension in 2005–06 is estimated at £1.0 billion.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are in 2004–05 price terms rounded to the nearest £100 million. 2. The bonus is assumed to be paid at the full category A weekly rate of basic state pension, currently £79.60. 3. The Christmas bonus is currently paid to people in receipt of a number of qualifying benefits, some of whom are of working age. These people are assumed to receive the Christmas bonus at the new rate.

Council Tax Benefit

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the Bridgwater constituency (a) are entitled to council tax benefit and (b) do not claim the council tax benefit to which they are entitled.

Chris Pond: The information is not available in the format requested. Statistics for Great Britain are presented in the DWP series "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up". The latest estimates relate to financial year 2001–02 and are in the Library.

DLA

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to change the levels of disability living allowance payable to pensioners.

Maria Eagle: The rates at which disability living allowance is paid are increased in April each year by the rate of inflation as measured by the movement in the Retail Price Index. The Government have no plans to change this arrangement.

DLA

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for disability living allowance were initially (a) granted and (b) refused in the last year within the constituency of Northampton South.

Maria Eagle: The number of applications for Disability Living Allowance that were initially granted in the last year in the Parliamentary Constituency of Northampton South is 400 1 The number of refusals is not available, as these are held as a national figure only.
	Notes:
	1. Figures less than 500 are subject to a high degree of sampling variation. 2. Figures taken from a 5 per cent., sample at 29 February 2004 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 4. From November 2002, the methodology for producing these figures was changed to allow statistics to be published much sooner. This has resulted in a small increase in the reported caseload. This is because some cases which have actually terminated but have not yet been updated on the computer system are now included.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre.

Employers' Liability Insurance

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to require companies to be registered for employers' liability compulsory insurance.

Jane Kennedy: The Department will assess the costs and benefits of registering employers on an ELCI database by autumn 2004. This is part of our work to consider how best to tackle the small number of employers who do not have Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI) cover, and how best to help claimants trace employers' ELCI insurance policies.

Employers' Liability Insurance

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of (a) the extent of evasion of employers' liability compulsory insurance within the construction and roofing industries and (b) the impact of such evasion on (i) the health and safety of workers and (ii) the profitability of insured employers.

Jane Kennedy: There are no figures available to show compliance with the Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI) Act 1969 solely within the construction and roofing industries.
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out a survey of compliance with ELCI in the autumn of 2003. That survey included small, medium and large firms across all sectors in England, Scotland and Wales and concluded that ELCI compliance was high—nearly 99.5 per cent. of those employers surveyed were ELCI compliant.
	The provision of ELCI does not, of itself, impact on the health and safety of workers. ELCI merely ensures that there is some money available to compensate a person who successfully claims against their employer in the event of an injury or ill health arising out of their employment.
	The survey found that the most commonly sited response to the increased cost of ELCI has been to "try and improve health and safety performance" (50 per cent. of respondents). In the context of our work to promote a risk-based approach to the setting of ELCI premiums, better Health and Safety performance will enable insurers to better reflect good Health and Safety practices in the terms they can offer.

Employers' Liability Insurance

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he intends to implement the recommendations of his Department's second report on employers' liability compulsory insurance.

Jane Kennedy: The Department for Work and Pensions, working with stakeholders, has made good progress towards delivering all the recommendations in the Second Stage Report.
	Recommendations still to be fully implemented are the Framework for Vocational Rehabilitation, the Health and Safety Executive Management Performance Index for small businesses, and the Claims Pilots to make claims processes more cost effective, quicker and transparent. All of these will be launched by the autumn 2004.

Jobcentre Plus

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost has been of creating Jobcentre Plus offices in each year since 2001–02; and what the estimated costs are for each year to 2007–08.

Jane Kennedy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mr. David Willetts, dated 7 September 2004
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning the costs of creating Jobcentre Plus offices in each year since 2001/02 and what the estimated costs are for each year to 2007/08. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The creation of Jobcentre Plus offices was organised in two separate phases. The rollout did not start until 2002/03. The 56 offices introduced in 2001/02 were known as Pathfinders and were not accounted for as part of the main roll out project. The capital cost of these Pathfinders in 2001/02 was £36.7m.
	From 2002/03 the Jobcentre Plus Implementation Project was set up to roll out the remaining offices nationwide. This is a 4-year programme from 2002/03 to 2005/06. The breakdown of the total costs is as follows:
	
		
			  Total 
			  £ million Percentage 
		
		
			 Total Staffing 674 30 
			 Total Running Costs 652 29 
			 Total Capital 903 41 
			 Total Rollout Programme 2229 100 
		
	
	The total project spend to date, including accruals, is £817m. The annual costs of rolling out the offices are shown below.
	
		£ million
		
			  Actual  Forecast outturn Rollout Programme 
			  2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 Total 
		
		
			 Capital Costs 111 251 195 346 903 
			 Staffing/Running Costs 149 200 381 596 1326 
			 Cumulative Total 260 711 1287 2229 — 
		
	
	The Jobcentre Plus Implementation project is due to be completed in March 2006. The project has now rolled out over 500 offices and remains within budget.
	I hope this is helpful.

New Deal

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have entered self-employment as a result of participating in each New Deal scheme in each year since 1997–98.

Jane Kennedy: The information is not available.
	Information on numbers of people entering the New Deal self employment option through New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus, and those receiving the New Deal 50 plus Employment Credit whilst being self employed is in the table. Information on Self Employment starts from the other New Deals is not available.
	
		New Deal
		
			  New Deal 1 for Young People New Deal 2 25 plus New Deal 3 50 plus 
		
		
			 1998–99 780 — — 
			 1999–2000 1,540 — — 
			 2000–01 1,350 — 4,040 
			 2001–02 980 3,470 4,120 
			 2002–03 1,080 3,870 4,040 
			 2003–04 1,140 2,290 — 
			 Total 6,870 9,630 12,190 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Information is only available from 1998 onwards.
	2. Information is only available from 2001 onwards.
	3. Information is only available from 2000 onwards
	4. Information is for April to March each year.
	5. All data is to March 2004 except New Deal 50 plus which is to March 2003.
	6. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and totals may not sum due to rounding.
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database, DWP Information and Analysis Directorate

New Deal and Employment Zones

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are employed (a) in his Department and (b) in Jobcentre Plus in administering each of the (i) New Deal programmes and (ii) Employment Zones.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available.
	The Department for Work and Pensions, including Jobcentre Plus, keeps staffing records by grade and location, but not by job role.

Pensioners

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners are (a) eligible for and (b) claiming the pension credit in Northampton South.

Malcolm Wicks: Information on the number of people likely to be eligible for Pension Credit is not available at constituency level. However, we estimate that approximately 250,000 households in the East Midlands region, corresponding to approximately 350,000 individuals (rounded to the nearest 50,000), are likely to be eligible for Pension Credit in 2004–05. At the end of July, 3,885 pensioner households in Northampton South, comprising 4,655 individuals (rounded to the nearest five), were in receipt of Pension Credit. The corresponding figures for the East Midlands region at the same date were 185,305 households and 227,800 individuals in receipt of Pension Credit.

Pensioners

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Bridgwater (a) are entitled to pension credit, (b) are in receipt of pension credit and (c) were receiving the minimum income guarantee prior to the introduction of pension credit.

Malcolm Wicks: Information on the number of people likely to be eligible for pension credit is not available at constituency level. However, we estimate that approximately 300,000 households in the South West region, corresponding to approximately 400,000 individuals (rounded to the nearest 50,000), are likely to be eligible for pension credit in 2004–05. At the end of July, 214,425 pensioner households in the South West region, comprising approximately 261,835 individuals, were in receipt of pension credit. Information on the number of pension credit and minimum income guarantee (MIG) recipients in Bridgewater is given in the table.
	
		Pension credit and MIG recipients in Bridgewater
		
			   Recipients of MIG, 3 October 2003 Recipients of pension credit, 31 July 2004 
		
		
			 Households 3,025 4,550 
			 Individuals 3,655 5,655 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	2. Individual recipients include a small number of partners under age 60.
	3. Pension credit was introduced on 6 October 2003.

Pensioners

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2004, Official Report, columns 833–34W, on pension credit, if he will provide the same breakdown of calls to the pension credit application line for subsequent months.

Malcolm Wicks: The available information is shown in the table.
	
		Calls to pension credit application line, January-July 2004
		
			  Calls received by application line Calls receiving engaged tone or recorded message Calls answered within 30 seconds Average call duration (minutes: seconds) 
		
		
			 January 495,560 120 429,670 08:12 
			 February 433,790 190 372,930 08:34 
			 March 430,070 230 378,440 08:38 
			 April 346,890 13,560 250,970 09:18 
			 May 234,580 20 212,570 08:48 
			 June 315,200 20 266,040 07:20 
			 July 239,990 30 212,390 07:22 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Numbers of calls are rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. The number of calls receiving the engaged tone or a recorded message was unusually high in April due to reduced numbers of staff as a result of industrial action. The number of lines feeding into the application line from the network was reduced to avoid people having to wait for a long time for an answer (instead they received a recorded message).
	3. The number of calls received is a measure of the total number of calls from customers made to the application line number 0800 99 1234. The number of calls answered within 30 seconds is a measure of all calls answered in application line sites and excludes any calls abandoned by the customer.

Pensioners

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest projections are for expenditure on all benefits to pensioners, broken down by benefit, up to 2053–54 (a) as a percentage of GDP and (b) in £ billion at 2004–05 prices.

Malcolm Wicks: The information has been placed in the Library.

Pensioners

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average pensioner income was in (a) cash terms and (b) real terms in (i) 2001–02, (ii) 2002–03 and (iii) 2003–04, broken down by (A) state benefits and (B) private savings.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the tables. Information for 2003–04 is currently unavailable.
	
		Average pensioner income in cash terms
		
			 Income source 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 State benefits 136 142 
			 Private saving 105 106 
			 Earnings 24 25 
			 Average pensioner income 268 277 
		
	
	
		Average pensioner income in real terms
		
			 Income source 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 State benefits 139 142 
			 Private saving 107 106 
			 Earnings 25 25 
			 Average pensioner income 273 277 
		
	
	Source:
	Family Resources Surveys 2001–02 and 2002–03, average incomes rounded to the nearest pound.
	Income from state benefits includes: state pensions; income-related benefits; and disability benefits. Income from private saving includes: occupational pensions; personal pensions; and investments.

Pensioners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to change the state pensions of expatriates living in countries not covered by reciprocal social security agreements with the UK.

Malcolm Wicks: We up-rate state pensions for British citizens living overseas where there is a legal requirement or a reciprocal social security agreement to do so.
	However, the up-dating of State Pensions outside this arrangement is the subject of an appeal to the House of Lords from a decision of the Court of Appeal which found in favour of the Government. We will respond accordingly at the hearing which is set for 28 February and 1 March next year.

Pensioners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to change the rules allowing for the state pension to be reduced after 52 weeks in hospital.

Malcolm Wicks: We have no plans at present to change these rules.

Pensioners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to change the level of a surviving partner's entitlement to the state earnings-related pension scheme.

Malcolm Wicks: We have no plans to alter the current arrangements.

Pensioners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of increasing the 25p a week age addition to £25.

Malcolm Wicks: The net cost of raising the age addition to £25 per week in 2005–06 is estimated at £2.1 billion.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are in 2004–05 price terms, rounded to the nearest £100 million. 2. Costs net of income-related benefits (savings credit, guarantee credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit) and income tax are calculated using the Department's policy simulation model for 2005–06.

Pensioners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost over a period of five years of increasing the basic state pension to a level of one-third average male earnings.

Malcolm Wicks: The Information is in the table.
	
		£ billion
		
			  Gross cost Net cost 
		
		
			 2005–06 50.5 32.3 
			 2006–07 52.9 36.2 
			 2007–08 55.6 38.0 
			 2008–09 58.5 39.9 
			 2009–10 61.5 41.9 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are for GB and overseas in 2004–05 price terms, using the Gross Domestic Product deflator index, rounded to the nearest £100 million.
	2. Gross basic state pension costs are estimated by the Government Actuary's Department and are consistent with Budget 2004 assumptions and use 2002 based population projections. Basic state pension costs refer to the additional costs after allowing for consequential changes to National Insurance Fund benefits and non-income-related vote benefits.
	3. Costs net of income-related benefits (savings credit, guarantee credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit) and income tax are calculated using the Department's policy simulation model for 2005–06 and 2006–07. For illustrative purposes it is assumed that the proportion of savings calculated for the 2006–07 year is constant for subsequent years.
	4. Average male earnings are taken from table 3.2 of the Department for Work and Pensions annual abstract of statistics. The April 2003 figure was £525 per week, and this was used to set a category A basic state pension of £175 for the following year. This was then projected forward using Budget 2004 economic assumptions for earnings growth.

Pensioners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of extending the full basic state pension to all people of pensionable age regardless of national insurance contributions.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the table:
	
		£ billion
		
			  Gross cost Net cost 
		
		
			 2005–06 7.3 5.0 
			 2006–07 8.9 6.0 
			 2007–08 9.9 6.7 
			 2008–09 10.9 7.4 
			 2009–10 11.9 8.1 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are for Great Britain only, in 2004–05 price terms, using the Gross Domestic Products deflator index, rounded to the nearest £100 million.
	2. It is assumed that the rules are changed from 2005–06 and that basic state pension is increased in line with prices. It is assumed that all individuals above state pension age (65 for men; 60 for women receive the full category A rate of basic state pension (currently £79.60 per week) regardless of contribution record or marital status.
	3. Gross basic state pension costs are estimated by the Government Actuary's Department and are consistent with Budget 2004 assumptions and use 2002-based population projections. Basic state pension costs refer to the additional costs after allowing for consequential changes to National Insurance Fund benefits and non-income-related vote benefits.
	4. Costs net of income related benefits (savings credit, guarantee credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit) and income tax are calculated using the Department's policy simulation model for 2005–06 and 2006–07. For illustrative purposes it is assumed that the proportion of savings calculated for the year 2006–07 is constant for subsequent years.

Pensioners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of raising the basic state pension to the level of the guarantee credit.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the following table:
	
		£ billion
		
			  Gross cost Net cost 
		
		
			 2005–06 13.5 7.3 
			 2006–07 15.1 7.7 
			 2007–08 16.4 8.3 
			 2008–09 17.8 9.0 
			 2009–10 19.2 9.8 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are for Great Britain and overseas in 2004–05 price terms, using the Gross Domestic Product deflator index, rounded to the nearest £100 million.
	2. It is assumed that the category A rate of basic state pension is increased to the level of the individual guarantee credit in 2005–06 and that both are increased in line with earnings. The category B rate of basic state pension is increased by the same proportion.
	3. Gross basic state pension costs are estimated by the Government Actuary's Department and are consistent with Budget 2004 assumptions and use 2002-based population projections. Basic state pension costs refer to the additional costs after allowing for consequential changes to national insurance fund benefits and non-income-related vote benefits.
	4. Costs net of income-related benefits (savings credit, guarantee credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit) and income tax are calculated using the Department's policy simulation model for 2005–06 and 2006–07. For illustrative purposes it is assumed that the proportion of savings calculated for the year 2006–07 is constant for subsequent years.

Pensioners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets he has set for the uptake of benefits by pensioners for the next four years.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has two Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets for take up of pension credit by pensioners:
	By 2006, be paying pension credit to at least 3 million pensioner households; and
	By 2008, be paying pension credit to at least 3.2 million pensioner households, while maintaining a focus on the most disadvantaged by ensuring that at least 2.2 million of the households are in receipt of the guarantee element.
	In addition, the 2006 pension credit target is supported by a Service Delivery Agreement (SDA), which says that by 2006, we will be paying the guarantee element of pension credit to at least 2.1 million pensioner households.

Pensioners

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimates are of the cost of contracted-out rebates in each of the past 10 years and each of the next 10 years consistent with the latest estimates by the Office of National Statistics of Pension contributions.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available in the format requested. The National Insurance contribution (NIC) rebates for Contracted-out Salary Related Schemes are delivered through lower rate NICs rather than as a payment to the pension scheme. Because of this, they would not be included in the data source used to compile the ONS estimates of pension contributions. Such information as is available is set out in the table.
	
		£ billions
		
			 Past 10 years Next 10 years 
			 Tax year Estimated cost of rebates Tax year Estimated cost of rebates 
		
		
			 1994–95 (62)— 2004–05 11.9 
			 1995–96 6.7 2005–06 12.3 
			 1996–97 6.9 2006–07 12.7 
			 1997–98 7.6 2007–08 12.2 
			 1998–99 7.8 2008–09 12.5 
			 1999–2000 8.3 2009–10 12.8 
			 2000–01 9.1 2010–11 13.1 
			 2001–02 9.5 2011–12 13.5 
			 2002–03 11.1 2012–13 13.5 
			 2003–04 11.5 2013–14 13.8 
		
	
	(62) Data not available.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are based on the assumptions used to determine the current national insurance rebates and those for the long-term Public Expenditure Survey undertaken in February 2004.
	2. They are for Great Britain only and are calculated on an accruals' basis.
	3. The model used by GAD to produce these estimates goes back only to the 1995–96 tax year. They have been unable, therefore, to provide estimates for 1994–95.
	Source:
	Government Actuary's Department (GAD)

Pensioners

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will provide a breakdown of expenditure on contracted-out rebates for (a) private sector employees and (b) public sector employees in each of the past 10 years; and what the projections are for each of the next 10 years.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available.

Pensioners

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the (a) mean and (b) median cost of the contracted out rebate for (i) a public sector employee and (ii) a private sector employee in each of the last 10 years; and what the projection is for each of the next 10 years.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available.

PFI/PPP Contracts

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many contracts his Department had with (a) Barclays Bank, (b) the Royal Bank of Scotland, (c) UBS Warburg and (d) the Bank of Scotland for advice on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts in each financial year since 2001–02; and what fees were paid in each case.

Jane Kennedy: DWP was formed in June 2001. We have had no involvement with any of these companies concerning private finance initiative and public private partnerships contracts.

Social Fund

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what resources the Government have made available to the Social Fund since 1997; whether the Government intends to increase the budget of the Social Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: Additional resources have been made available to both the regulated and discretionary Social Fund since 1997.
	In the regulated fund, which is not cash limited, Sure Start Maternity Grants have been introduced and are now worth £500; five times as much as the old maternity payment. Winter fuel payments, now worth £200, have been introduced to help older people meet fuel costs, and are available to around eight million households. From the winter of 2003–04 those households that include a person aged 80 or over receiving a winter fuel payment receive an additional £100.
	The net budget for the discretionary Social Fund, which includes Community Care Grants, Budgeting Loans and Crisis Loans, has also increased since 1997, and will be increased by a further £90 million over the three years from April 2003.
	The information is in the table.
	
		Social Fund expenditure since 1997 -- £ million
		
			  Discretionary Fund 
			  Community Care Grants Budgeting Loans Crisis Loans 
		
		
			 1997–98 97 311 54 
			 1998–99 98 344 59 
			 1999–2000 98 396 62 
			 2000–01 100 435 65 
			 2001–02 103 469 75 
			 2002–03 108 462 85 
			 2003–04 117 484 85 
		
	
	
		Regulated Fund -- £ million
		
			  Maternity Payments/Sure Start Maternity Grants Funeral Payments Cold Weather Payments Winter Fuel Payments 
		
		
			 1997–98 20 38 0.5 191 
			 1998–99 18 39 0.2 194 
			 1999–2000 17 38 1.0 759 
			 2000–01 44 36 30 1,749 
			 2001–02 61 38 15 1,692 
			 2002–03 111 42 14 1,700 
			 2003–04 120 47 4 1,931 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest £1 million, except for cold weather payments of £1.0 million or less which are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million.
	2. Winter fuel payments expenditure for 2000–01 includes £94 million for retrospective entitlement due to extending winter fuel payments to all those aged 60 or over (with some exceptions) and £108 million for those entitled for the first time in 2000–01.
	3. Winter fuel payments expenditure for 2003–04 includes expenditure on the 80+ payment. Winter fuel payment expenditure for 2003–04 is estimated.
	Source:
	Secretary of State's annual reports on the Social Fund, except expenditure for winter fuel payments, which is taken from Social Fund accounts.

Social Fund Loans

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Social Fund budget loans, and to what value, have been made in each year since 1997; and how many and what value of these were to cover delays in payments of social security benefits and tax credits.

Chris Pond: Social Fund Loans, including Budgeting Loans, should not be awarded to compensate for delay in payment of benefits; where there is delay in payment, interim benefit payments can be considered.
	
		Budgeting Loan awards and gross expenditure since 1997
		
			   Initial awards Total gross expenditure (£ million) 
		
		
			 1997–98 916,000 311 
			 1998–99 935,000 344 
			 1999–2000 1,017,000 396 
			 2000–01 1,145,000 435 
			 2001–02 1,240,000 469 
			 2002–03 1,251,000 462 
			 2003–04 1,250,000 484 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Initial awards do not include awards made after review.
	2. Gross expenditure does include awards made on review.
	3. Numbers of initial awards are rounded to the nearest thousand and total gross expenditure to the nearest million.
	Source:
	Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Annual reports on the Social Fund.

Winter Fuel Allowance

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of increasing the value of the winter fuel allowance to £300 per household.

Malcolm Wicks: The estimated additional cost of increasing the winter fuel payment from £200 to £300 is £860 million.

Industrial Injuries (Appeals)

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Government's target time is from application to hearing for appeals concerning industrial injuries disablement benefit diseases; and what the average waiting time has been for those whose appeals are currently being heard.

Chris Pond: pursuant to the reply, 27 May 2004, Official Report, c. 1802W
	This is a matter for Christina Townsend, Chief Executive of the Appeals Service. She will reply to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Chris Pond to Mr. Tony Lloyd, dated 31 August 2004
	Dr. Christina Townsend, Chief Executive of the Appeals Service, wrote to you on 27 May in reply to your question about waiting times for Industrial Injuries Disablement appeals.
	Unfortunately, the figure quoted in the reply was for appeal clearance rather than appeal waiting time. I am sorry that this mistake, which was the result of a programming error when producing the data, has arisen. I attach a copy of the amended reply, which will also be published in Hansard.
	Letter from Christina Townsend to Mr. Tony Lloyd, dated 31 August 2004
	Pursuant to my written answer on 27 May, Official Report, column 1802W. The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question regarding the target time for hearing appeals concerning Industrial Disablement Benefit (IIDB) diseases and the average waiting time for those whose appeals are currently being heard.
	Our target for the 2003–2004 financial year was to hear appeals within an average of 13 weeks from receipt in our Service. Information on waiting times is not available in the format requested but I can advise you that the average waiting time for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit appeals was 9.26 1 weeks for the 2003–2004 financial year.
	I hope that this is helpful.
	Notes:
	1 All figures are subject to change as more up to date data becomes available.
	Figures for the latest months may rise significantly as information feeds through to the Appeals Service.
	Figures are rounded to two decimal places
	Source:
	100 per cent. download of the Generic Appeals Processing System

Disability Discrimination Act

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will set out the timescale for compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 for (a) voluntary and community groups and (b) small businesses; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what financial assistance is available to help (a) voluntary and community groups and (b) small businesses to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Many voluntary and community groups and small businesses, where they are employers or provide services to the public, are already under a duty to meet certain requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995. For example, they are already required not to discriminate unjustifiably against, and to make reasonable adjustments for, disabled people in recruitment, employment or in the way that they deliver services to disabled people.
	On 1 October 2004, the employment provisions of the DDA are being extended to employers with fewer than 15 employees. At the same time, service providers will be under additional duties to tackle physical features of their premises which otherwise make it impossible or unreasonably difficult for a disabled person to access the service, or to provide the service by another reasonable means.
	The Government, and the Disability Rights Commission, have undertaken wide-ranging publicity campaigns over the last two years to raise awareness of the new duties in order to give employers and service providers the opportunity to understand, and plan for, their implementation.
	There is no specific funding available to help (a) voluntary and community groups and (b) small businesses, or indeed any business or organisation with duties under the DDA, to meet the requirements of the Act. This is because employers and service providers are only required to do what is reasonable, and factors such as the cost and practicability of making reasonable adjustments, and the financial and other resources available to the business or organisation, will be taken into account in determining what is reasonable.
	In certain instances, an employer who employs a disabled person may be able to obtain assistance to make adjustments for the disabled employee from the Access to Work programme. Employers can obtain further information about the programme by contacting their nearest Access to Work Business Centre.

Pension Credit

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to alter the rule whereby people who stay abroad for longer than four weeks have their pension credit payments stopped; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Pension Credit is for people who live in Great Britain. If someone expects to be absent abroad for less than 52 weeks it can continue to be paid normally for no more than four weeks; or for up to eight weeks for someone accompanying a young person who lives with them and who is receiving medical treatment abroad. It can continue to be paid for people who have gone abroad for medical treatment under the NHS for themselves for as long as they receive treatment.
	Officials are currently researching a range of options for potentially extending the period for which Pension Credit can continue to be paid for customers who go abroad for less than 52 weeks.

Employers' Liability Insurance

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to reduce the burden on employers' liability compulsory insurance on small businesses with good health and safety track records; and what legislative changes are proposed.

Jane Kennedy: The Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI) Review identified a number of steps that would help to reduce the burden of ELCI on small businesses with good health and safety track records.
	Firstly, the Department for Work and Pensions is currently reviewing ELCI in respect of those limited companies in the UK where the owner is the only employee. If a decision is made to remove the requirement for ELCI from such companies, then any legislative change can be expected in the UK early in 2005.
	The Department is keen to see a more risk based approach to the underwriting of risks. The 'Making the Market Work' initiative run by the Association of British Insurers, and the developing Health and Safety Executive Management Performance Index for small businesses, will both help to ensure that insurers are able to reflect good health and safety practices in the terms they can offer.

Social Fund

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans the Government have to reform the Social Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: The Social Fund plays an important role in the Government's agenda for tackling poverty and social exclusion. It provides support to millions of people on low incomes, including some of the most vulnerable people in our society. We have announced a number of improvements to the Social Fund.
	£90 million is being added to the Discretionary Social Fund budget over the three years to 2005–06, as announced in the Pre-Budget report 2002.
	The Child Poverty Review, published on 12 July 2004, announced the Government's intention to abolish the Budgeting Loan 'double debt' rule and to reduce the current standard repayment rate of 15 per cent. of a customers benefit to 12 per cent. These changes will make Budgeting Loans more consistent and easier to understand and the Social Fund more effective in assisting those families most likely to experience over-indebtedness.
	The Government are also looking at ways in which more affordable loans can be made available to people on low incomes, and are seeking to work in partnership with the private and voluntary sectors to find ways of delivering these, while ensuring that the loans enhance the ability of people to manage their finances responsibly.
	We will continue to look at ways in which the Social Fund can be made more effective.

Work Injuries

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will introduce a training system for providers of rehabilitation services to victims of accidents at work; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Department's work to produce a Framework for Vocational Rehabilitation has highlighted that organisations representing different rehabilitation providers already provide training schemes. For example, there are existing training curricula for doctors in the specialties of occupational medicine and rehabilitation medicine published by the Specialist Training Authority. There are analogous schemes for nurses and other health care professionals.
	The framework will commit the Department to work with stakeholders, including training organisations, to ensure consistency in the training provided on recognised vocational rehabilitation standards. The Department will also work with stakeholders to identify, and take steps to fill, any standards or training gaps.

Work Injuries

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will introduce an accreditation scheme for providers of rehabilitative services to victims of accidents at work; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Departments work to develop a Framework for Vocational Rehabilitation has highlighted that many stakeholders would like steps to be taken to consider the need for accreditation schemes for providers of vocational rehabilitation. The Framework will set up the necessary mechanisms to enable the Department and other stakeholders to fully consider the need for accreditation schemes, and if required, to develop these.

Means-tested Benefits

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on the assessment of (a) grants, (b) bursaries, whether from Government or other sources and (c) student loans in the household incomes assessments for means-tested benefits; and whether this policy is under review.

Chris Pond: Income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit are income-related benefits. It is a general principle in the calculation of these benefits that any income available to the customer including grants, bursaries and student loans will be taken into account. A standard disregard is allowed for books, travel and equipment.
	For benefit purposes, a student loan is treated in the same way as a grant or bursary. However, a further disregard of £10 per week is applied.
	The new Higher Education Grant and Educational Maintenance Allowance paid to those students with low parental or family income will be wholly disregarded in the calculation of benefit as they are paid for the purpose of defraying costs of books, equipment, travel and child care.
	DWP are currently working with the Department for Education and Skills and the Devolved Administrations in reviewing our policies on the treatment of grants, loans and bursaries within the benefit system in time for new grants and bursaries due to be introduced at the beginning of the 2006/07 academic year.

CSA

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the Bridgwater constituency who have cases with the Child Support Agency are using (a) the old maintenance payment system and (b) the new maintenance payment system; and if he will make a statement as to when he estimates all people in Bridgwater will be assessed using the new system.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Ian Liddell-Grainger, dated 7 September 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in the Bridgwater constituency who have cases with the Child Support Agency are using (a) the old maintenance payment system and (b) the new maintenance payment system; and if he will make a statement as to when he estimates all people in Bridgwater will be assessed using the new system.
	We do not have the information in the format you have requested. However, I can tell you that in total around 1,890,000 people are involved in cases using the old maintenance payment system and around 480,000 people are involved in cases using the new maintenance payment system. Ministers will make a decision on the bulk transfer of cases from the old scheme when they are satisfied that the new arrangements are working well for new clients. It is not possible to provide a timescale for this.

Benefit Claimants

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed (a) incapacity benefit and (b) jobseeker's allowance in (i) the Bury St. Edmunds parliamentary constituency and (ii) the county of Suffolk in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The most recent information is in the tables.
	
		People claiming incapacity benefit in the Bury St. Edmunds parliamentary constituency and Suffolk
		
			   As at February Bury St. Edmunds parliamentary constituency   Suffolk 
		
		
			 1997 2,000 18,200 
			 1998 2,100 19,200 
			 1999 2,300 18,800 
			 2000 2,000 19,200 
			 2001 2,600 19,600 
			 2002 2,800 19,500 
			 2003 2,700 19,700 
			 2004 2,700 20,100 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Incapacity benefit figures include those getting severe disablement allowance and national insurance credits only.
	2. Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	4. Numbers are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	5. Local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory.
	6. Suffolk is made up of the following LAs: Babergh, Forest Heath, Ipswich, Mid Suffolk, St. Edmundsbury, Suffolk Coastal, and Waveney.
	Source:
	DWP-IAD Information Centre 5 per cent. sample.
	
		People claiming job seekers allowance in the Bury St. Edmunds parliamentary constituency and Suffolk.
		
			   As at July Bury St. Edmunds parliamentary constituency   Suffolk 
		
		
			 1997 1,350 13,769 
			 1998 1,119 11,342 
			 1999 991 10,390 
			 2000 818 8,472 
			 2001 742 7,437 
			 2002 771 7,538 
			 2003 754 7,877 
			 2004 683 7,153 
		
	
	Source:
	Count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems (including clerically held cases).

Fraud

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he has made in achieving his anti-fraud targets.

Chris Pond: We have set firm targets to reduce fraud and error and have already had considerable success. Our latest figures show that since 1997 we have reduced fraud and error in income support and jobseekers allowance by 29 per cent. This is against our target of reducing fraud and error in these benefits by 33 per cent. by March next year and by 50 per cent. by March 2006.
	For the first time, we have established a continuous measurement of the level of fraud and error in housing benefit with a target to reduce fraud and error in housing benefit by 25 per cent. by 2006.
	The latest assessment of the levels of fraud and error in housing benefit were published in "Fraud and Error in Housing Benefit, April 2002 to September 2003" on 12 August 2004. Copies of the report are in the Library.

Savings Incentives

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what incentives the Government are offering to young people to begin saving for pensions.

Malcolm Wicks: We recognise that pension saving is far more affordable when done over a long period and the key is for young people to start taking action early in life as they become financially independent and enter the workplace for the first time.
	Through our Informed Choice 1 programme we are encouraging all people, including young people, to plan ahead. We are doing this by making them aware of their options and ensuring they have the right information at the right time, together with the basic financial awareness and skills, to help them make appropriate choices. The range of initiatives include measures to: maximise workplace pensions savings, provide personalised information about an individual's forecasted state and occupational/private pension positions, working with employers to provide information and advice in the workplace, and introducing a new web-based retirement planner.
	Furthermore, the national Financial Capability Strategy, led by the Financial Services Authority and set out in two recent FSA documents 2 , is working to address the financial capability needs, including those related to saving for retirement, for all groups, including young people.
	We already provide incentives to encourage long-term savings by giving more generous tax treatment on pensions than on other forms of investment. Pensions are one of the most efficient ways of saving for all age groups. To encourage and reassure individuals who save in occupational pensions that their pension is secure, the Pension Protection Fund, will, for the first time in the UK, serve to protect members of defined benefit schemes if their sponsoring employer becomes insolvent and the scheme is under-funded.
	We are also introducing other measures to encourage the savings habit. For example, in June, we announced our proposals for the stakeholder suite of simple, low-cost, risk-controlled savings and investment products to meet the needs of all, including the young, for their short, medium and long-term needs. Measures such as the Savings Gateway, the Universal Banking Services, the Community Finance and Learning Initiative and the introduction of the Child Trust Fund, also serve to encourage young people to engage with the financial sector.
	1 Command paper, Simplicity, Security and Choice: Informed Choices for working and saving.
	2 Towards a National Strategy for Financial Capability, November 2003 and Building Financial Capability in the UK, May 2004.

Family and Child Study

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason all reference to marriage has been omitted from the Family and Child Study data; and if he will reinstate the previous format.

Chris Pond: The Families and Children Study (FACS) collects data from a sample of British families with dependent children on an annual basis. The questionnaire covers topics such as demographics, health, child outcomes, work, family income, material well-being and child support, among others.
	FACS also continues to collect data on the marital status of the study's members. However, for reasons of limited space, the most recent FACS annual report did not include a separate analysis of marital status. Instead, the focus was on lone parent/couple status, a key determinant of benefit entitlement. It is anticipated that future reports based on FACS data will provide analyses by marital status.

Pensions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advice the Government provide for young people on saving for pensions.

Malcolm Wicks: Through our Informed Choice 1 programme, we are delivering a range of initiatives which help to break down the barriers people, including young people, often experience in planning ahead for their financial future in retirement. We are making people aware of their options and ensuring they have the right information at the right time, together with the basic financial awareness and skills, to help them make appropriate choices. The range of initiatives include measures to: maximise workplace pensions savings, provide personalised information about an individuals forecasted state and occupational/private pension positions, working with employers to provide information and advice in the workplace, and introducing a new web-based retirement planner.
	The Government cannot promote or provide advice about financial products for pensions saving but we want all people, including young people, to be confident about making their own informed choices about working and saving for retirement. They can only do so if they have acquired basic financial awareness and skills to help them interpret the information and advice available to them.
	The national Financial Capability Strategy, led by the Financial Services Authority and set out in two recent FSA documents 2 is working to address the financial education, information and advice needs, including those related to saving for retirement, for all groups, including young people.
	In addition, Government information about pensions is already available to everyone, including young people, from the Pensions Service and the Financial Services Authority, via their websites and/or telephone helplines, leaflets and publications.
	1 Command paper, Simplicity, Security and Choice: Informed Choices for Working and Saving.
	2 Towards a National Strategy for Financial Capability, November 2003 and Building Financial Capability in the UK, May 2004.

New Deal

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Great Yarmouth have benefited from the New Deal for (a) Young People, (b) Long-term Unemployed and (c) Lone Parents.

Jane Kennedy: The information is in the table.
	
		New Deal information for the Great Yarmouth constituency
		
			 Programme Number of individuals starting the programme Number of individuals into jobs 
		
		
			 New Deal for Young People 2,040 1,270 
			 New Deal 25 plus 1,610 580 
			 New Deal for Lone Parents 830 400 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All information is to March 2004.
	2. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	DWP Information and Analysis Directorate.

New Deal

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have participated in each New Deal programme; and how many people have participated (a) twice and (b) three times or more.

Jane Kennedy: The information is in the table.
	
		Participants on the New Deal
		
			  Programme   Individuals who have started the programme  Individuals who have started the programme twice  Individuals who have started the programme three times Individuals who have started the programme three times or more 
		
		
			 New Deal for Young People 858,780 159,840 40,700 48,430 
			 New Deal 25 plus 512,360 95,390 31,700 40,410 
			 New Deal for Lone Parents 485,320 83,590 18,390 22,990 
			 New Deal for Disabled People 76,620 2,630 120 130 
			 New Deal 50 plus 98,040 — — — 
			 New Deal for Partners 7,820 — — — 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) figures relate to registrations with an NDDP Job Broker.
	2. All data is to March 2004 except New Deal 50 plus which is to March 2003.
	3. Information on New Deal 50 plus relates to starts to the Employment Credit. Only one start to the New Deal 50 plus Employment Credit can be made.
	4. Information on the number of individuals starting New Deal for Partners more than once is not available.
	5. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	DWP Information and Analysis Directorate

Winter Fuel Payments

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in the Great Yarmouth constituency were (a) entitled to and (b) took up the winter fuel payment in the last year for which figures are available.

Malcolm Wicks: For winter 2003–04 the number of pensioners in the Great Yarmouth constituency who received a winter fuel payment was 22,220. It is not possible to say how many pensioners were entitled to a winter fuel payment.
	Note:
	Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5.
	Source: IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. samples.

Pensioners

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of average pensioner household disposable income in each year since 1997; what factors are taken into account in calculating the average figure; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The information in the table gives, in 2002–03 prices, the average weekly net before and after housing cost income for pensioner units between 1996–97 and 2002–03. In this period, net income before housing costs has increased by 19 per cent. in real terms, whereas net income after housing costs has increased by 26 per cent. in real terms.
	
		Average pensioner unit net income (£)
		
			  Income before housing costs Income after housing costs 
		
		
			 1996–97 199 170 
			 1997–98 202 174 
			 1998–99 208 182 
			 1999–2000 216 189 
			 2000–01 225 202 
			 2001–02 233 210 
			 2002–03 237 214 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Pensioners' income includes income from state pensions and benefits, private pensions and investment income.
	2. The net before housing cost measure of disposable income is equal to gross income minus income tax payments; National insurance contributions; domestic rates/council tax; contributions to occupational pension schemes; maintenance and child support payments; and parental contributions to students living away from home.
	3. The net after housing cost measure additionally deducts rent; water rates; community water charges; and council water charges; mortgage interest payments; structural insurance premiums; and ground rent and service charges.
	Source:
	Pensioners' Income Series 2002–03, in 2002–03 prices.
	The estimates are based on the Family Resources Survey.

Pensioners

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of the adult population the Government estimates have claimed the basic state pension in each year since 1990.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available in the format requested. However, such information as is available is in the following table.
	
		
			  Recipients of basic state pension living in GB As a percentage of GB population aged 18 and over 
		
		
			 September 1990 9,380,900 22 
			 September 1991 9,407,000 22 
			 September 1992 9,450,800 22 
			 September 1993 9,458,200 22 
			 September 1994 9,458,900 22 
			 September 1995 9,541,200 22 
			 September 1996 9,679,400 22 
			 September 1997 9,801,700 23 
			 March 1998 9,841,100 23 
			 September 1999 10,030,400 23 
			 September 2000 10,086,600 23 
			 September 2001 10,163,600 23 
			 September 2002 10,224,200 23 
			 September 2003 10,317,700 23 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Recipient figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	2. Recipient figures are derived from a 5 per cent. sample of cases taken from the Pension Strategy Computer System as at 31 September each year, except for 1998 when the figure is derived from a 5 per cent. sample of cases as at 31 March.
	3. Recipient figures exclude persons in receipt of only: non-contributory State Pensions; Graduated Retirement Benefit; and additional State Pension.
	4. Population figures are taken mid-year from mid-1990 onwards. Population data sources are: Office for National Statistics (ONS); and General Register Office Scotland (GROS).
	5. As no population figures are yet available for 2003, mid-2002 figures have been used.

TRANSPORT

Public Transport (CCTV)

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide resources to enable full coverage of operational CCTV on all public transport vehicles; and what research his Department has commissioned on the effects upon the number of charges and convictions for criminal activity on public transport if full operational CCTV coverage were to be installed in all public transport vehicles.

Tony McNulty: It is up to individual transport operators to fund CCTV systems on their vehicles and a growing number recognise the importance of doing so. For example, although the Strategic Rail Authority has not stipulated CCTV as a requirement for trains, CCTV has been included on all new trains and most refurbished trains.
	Government funding is available to Local Authorities to support infrastructure improvements to tackle crime through their Local Transport Plan integrated transport block allocations. Schemes funded in this way include the installation of CCTV cameras in bus shelters.
	There has been no Government research into the effects on the number of charges and convictions for criminal activity on public transport if full operational CCTV were to be installed. However, there has been a Government funded national evaluation of CCTV generally which includes an analysis of the perceptions of offenders and any changes in recorded crime in CCTV areas, buffer areas surrounding the CCTV areas (intended to detect displaced crime) and control areas. The report will be published at the end of this year.

A1

Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his current estimate is of the cost of making the A1 between Newcastle and Berwick fully-dualled.

David Jamieson: The Al Multi-Modal Study Report in May 2002 estimated the cost of dualling the Al from Newcastle to the Scottish border to be £343 million at 2001 prices. However the report concluded that although the completion of dualling was necessary between Newcastle and Alnwick, wholesale dualling could not be justified in the foreseeable future.
	The Highways Agency have not carried out a detailed costing. But on a pro rata basis from the 2001 estimate, I would expect the cost at current prices to exceed £375 million.

A40/M40

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many copies of the Highways Agency's consultation leaflet on the M40/A40 Management Strategy have been distributed in Stokenchurch.

David Jamieson: Fifty copies of the consultation for the M40/A40 Draft Route Management Strategy were sent to Stokenchurch Library.

A40/M40

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Highways Agency has taken to consult the residents of Stokenchurch on the draft A40/M40 Route Management Strategy.

David Jamieson: A press notice was issued to inform national and local media. The document was placed on deposit at local council offices. Leaflets were available at Oxford Motorway services, High Wycombe library and subsequently Stokenchurch library.

Aviation Health Unit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the work of the Aviation Health Unit.

Tony McNulty: The Aviation Health Unit was established in December 2003 primarily to provide advice to the UK Government and others on aviation health issues. It also investigates potential new aviation health concerns; reviews research and other information on aviation health; and liaises with the aviation industry and relevant organisations throughout the world. The Department is funding the unit until legislation can be enacted to allow the CAA to meet the costs of the unit from the charges it levies on airlines.

Cargo Aircraft (Terrorism)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the vulnerability of cargo aircraft using United Kingdom airports to terrorists stowing on board with the aim of taking over the cockpit in flight.

Tony McNulty: The Department for Transport continually assesses the vulnerability, from all types of terrorist attack, of all aircraft using UK airports.

Crossrail

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the start of construction of (a) Crossrail and (b) Crossrail 2.

Tony McNulty: The Secretary of State announced to Parliament on 20 July 2004 that he intended that appropriate powers for the construction of Crossrail should be sought by means of a hybrid Bill to be introduced in Parliament at the earliest opportunity. Previous experience, with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Bill, suggests that the bill might take around two years to complete its passage. The Government have no plans currently to seek legal powers for Crossrail 2.

Departmental Costs

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of refurbishments to the fabric of buildings owned by his Department has been since May 1997.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 22 July 2004, Official Report, column 653W to the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire (Mr. Selous).

Departmental Costs

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total running cost of his Department's canteen facilities was in (a) 1996–97 and (b) 2003–04.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 21 July 2004, Official Report, column 263W, to the hon. Member for South-West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous).

Departmental Costs

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on replacing light bulbs in the last year for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: This information is not collected centrally and the costs are often undifferentiated from other mechanical and electrical service costs or are not accounted for separately in the individual finance systems. To separately identify such costs would involve disproportionate costs.

Departmental Costs

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of printing departmental headed notepaper was in (a) 1996–97 and (b) the last year for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to the answer on 21 July 2004, Official Report, column 264W, to the hon. Member for Leominster (Mr. Wiggin).

Freight Transport

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on progress in implementing the 10 Year Transport Plan as it relates to freight transport.

David Jamieson: The 10 Year Plan for transport marked the beginning of a more strategic approach to delivering transport improvements. It delivered a long term Government commitment to sustained increases in transport spending.
	Much of this investment will benefit freight alongside other transport users. The plan is delivering new capacity on the road network, with 80 schemes at various stages in the Targeted Programme of Improvements totalling around £8.8 billion. 13 of these schemes are currently under construction, including widening of the M25 between Junctions 12 to 15 around Heathrow. We have also invested in the Rail Network, renewing 800 miles of track last year. And we have increased total Government capital support for local authorities from £650 million in 2001 to £1.9 billion in 2004–05.
	In relation to specific references to Freight in the 10 Year Plan, there has been a significant increase in freight on rail over recent years. The possibility of dedicated HGV only lanes on our strategic routes has been under consideration, but suitable sites have yet to be identified, though a number of schemes have been introduced .which afford goods vehicles priority, along with buses and cyclists, over general traffic in congested urban areas. Finally, we have made significant progress in implementing road haulage efficiency measures as outlined in the 10 Year Plan, particularly through the Road Haulage Modernisation Fund. In particular we have been funding projects to offer training in safer and more fuel efficient driving, and to promote operational practices that save on the use of fuel.
	"The future of Transport", published in July this year builds on the 10 Year Plan and looks forward to the factors that might shape travel demand and our transport network over the next 30 years. It sets out how the Government will respond to those pressures while safeguarding our economic and social wellbeing and the environment. Our policies for freight transport are set out in that document.

M6

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether it is his intention that the proposed M6 toll expressway should be (a) constructed and (b) operated by a private sector contractor.

David Jamieson: The M6 expressway is no more than a broad concept at this stage. If we decide to ask the Highways Agency to undertake further development work in light of the responses from the consultation exercise, one issue we will need to consider further is whether the proposal could be undertaken by a private sector concessionaire to fund, construct and operate the expressway for a set period.

Night Flights

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish a consultation document on night flights.

Tony McNulty: I published a consultation paper on night flying restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports on 21 July 2004, Official Report, columns 56–58WS.

Nuclear Materials (Transport)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has conducted a review of the suitability, in respect of security and safety, of the different ships used, or planned to be used, to transport plutonium MOX fuel to overseas customers from Sellafield.

Tony McNulty: Ships used to transport MOX fuel are reviewed routinely under separate regulations governing the security and safety of the transport of nuclear materials. The Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 provide for the review of all security aspects of each shipment of MOX fuel including the suitability of the vessel. The Merchant Shipping (Carriage of Packaged Irradiated Nuclear Fuel etc.) (INF Code) Regulations 2000, SI 3216 provide for both certification that vessels have been constructed to international standards, and periodic review to ensure that they continue to comply with the requirements.

PFI/PPP Contracts

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many contracts his Department had with (a) Barclays, (b) the Royal Bank of Scotland, (c) UBS Warburg and (d) the Bank of Scotland for advice on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts in each financial year since 2001–02; and what fees were paid in each case.

Tony McNulty: The Department was formed in May 2002. The Department has not awarded contracts to any of these banks for advice on private finance initiative and public-private partnership contracts.

Rail Services

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to paragraph 5.3.5 of The Future of Rail, Cm.6233, what estimate he has made of the total amount of money elected regional assemblies would be able to spend on improving rail services in (a) the North East, (b) the North West and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber.

Tony McNulty: Elected regional assemblies will be given flexibility to decide how much money to spend on rail passenger improvements within the resources available to them. The level of government funding available to assemblies will be determined in due course.

Rail Services

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the Leonard Cheshire Foundation regarding equal access for disabled people to the rail network.

Tony McNulty: The Department regularly meets with major disability organisations including the Leonard Cheshire Foundation and frequently consults and corresponds with them, both directly and through correspondence with Members. We have recently responded to a number of inquiries generated by the Foundation's "All Aboard" campaign.

Rail Services

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has commissioned regarding the Government's rail end date of 2055 and the viability of alternatives proposed by the Leonard Cheshire Foundation.

Tony McNulty: The Government first consulted on an 'end date', by which time all rail vehicles must comply with the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations, last November, as part of a consultation on our proposals for amending the rail provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act. Various dates were considered, looking both at the needs of disabled people and at the financial implications for the rail industry, and we indicated that we favoured 2025.
	The consultation included a draft regulatory impact assessment which was based on an independent economic appraisal of the various options. We are committed to further consultation before a final date is set in regulations. This will take full account of the responses to the November consultation, including that received from the Leonard Cheshire Foundation, and the recommendation of the Joint Scrutiny Committee on the draft Disability Discrimination Bill.

Roads

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list planned road resurfacing projects broken down by the number of houses affected by above 68dB of noise that will benefit from noise reduction; and how many of these projects will be financed from the £5 million ringfenced sum.

David Jamieson: In general, priorities for resurfacing sections of the strategic road network are assessed according to maintenance need rather than noise criteria. Detailed information on the numbers of houses exposed to more than 68dB that are expected to benefit from this resurfacing programme is not available.
	An assessment of the number of houses exposed to more than 68dB is only made for sites meeting the criteria for noise announced on 22 March 1999 in connection with the £5 million ringfenced sum. This ringfenced sum was specifically aimed at funding noise mitigation measures at sites where the noise problems were serious and pressing and where resurfacing with quieter materials could not be justified on normal maintenance grounds.
	In the majority of cases, the ringfenced sum has funded the provision of noise barriers at locations identified on the list published on 11 November 1999. There is only one resurfacing scheme in the 2004–05 programme with funding from, the ringfenced sum. This will deal with the problem identified on M6 junctions 34–35, Camforth and should provide a significant noise reduction for approximately 300 houses currently exposed to more than 68dB of noise.

Roads

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent in each year since 1997 installing speed humps on roads.

Alistair Darling: The installation of speed humps is a matter for individual Highway Authorities. As such this information is not held centrally.
	Local authorities are solely responsible for the implementation of all traffic calming schemes, including the installation of road humps.
	Funding is allocated via the Single Capital Pot based on the Road Safety Strategy contained within their Local Transport Plans.

Roads

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 20 July 2004, Official Report, column 130W, on road safety, how many people died as a result of crashes that occurred on hard shoulders of English trunk motorways in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003.

Tony McNulty: The number of people who have died as a result of crashes that occurred on English trunk road motorways where at least one vehicle was on, entering or leaving the hard shoulder in (a) 2002 was 22 and in (b) 2003 was 11.

Roads

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road schemes have been started in Northampton in each year since 1992.

Tony McNulty: The number of road improvements, costing over £l million, and excluding maintenance schemes, started in Northampton for each year since 1992 is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1992 1 
			 1993 0 
			 1994 0 
			 1995 0 
			 1996 1 
			 1997 1 
			 1998 1 
			 1999 2 
			 2000 0 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 1 
			 2003 2

Roads

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Government are on track to achieve its target of delivering (a) 100 new bypasses on trunk and local roads and (b) 130 major local road schemes by 2010; and what the (i) construction costs, (ii) scheduled date for start of construction, (iii) expected completion date and (iv) status at 1 April is for each currently identified scheme.

David Jamieson: The Government are on track to deliver 32 new bypasses on the strategic road network by the end of 2010–11. The following table gives the relevant detail on these bypasses which have either been completed, or are contained within the current Targeted Programme of Improvements (TPI).
	Firm decisions have yet to be made on start of works for the remainder of the current programme so no forecast dates of opening are possible but the latest estimated outturn costs and status report for these schemes has been provided.
	On local roads it is too soon to say whether the quoted number of local road schemes will be delivered. This depends largely on how quickly local authorities bring their schemes to completion. 79 road schemes have been fully or provisionally approved by the Government since 2000; these schemes are now at various stages of delivery. A local authority's progress in delivering a local road scheme is a matter for the local authority concerned. The Government are considering a number of other road scheme proposals from local authorities.
	
		A. Major Project Bypasses already completed
		
			 Scheme Latest estimated outturn cost (£ million) Start of works Date of completion 
		
		
			 A5 Nesscliffe Bypass 20 March 2002 March 2003 
			 A6 Great Glen Bypass 21 April 2001 February 2003 
			 A6 Rushden and Higham Ferrers Bypass 16 April 2002 August 2003 
			 A6 Rothwell-Desborough Bypass 19 April 2002 August 2003 
			 A6 Clapham Bypass 44 May 2001 December 2002 
			 A6 Alvaston 22 September 2002 December 2003 
			 A27 Pplegate Bypass 29 October 2000 June 2002 
			 A41 Aston Clinton Bypass 44 August 2001 October 2003 
			 A43 Towcester-M40 Dualling (including A43 Silverstone Bypass) 97 February 2001 September 2002 
			 A63 Selby Bypass 65 October 2001 June 2004 
			 A66 Stainburn and Great Clifton Bypass 12 July 2001 December 2002 
			 A500 Basford, Hough, Shavington Bypass 54 June 2001 May 2003 
			 A650 Bingley Relief Road 91 July 2001 December 2003 
			 M6 Toll (accelerated Roads Review scheme) (63)Toll Road March 2001 December 2003 
		
	
	(63) The M6 Toll Road is privately funded. There is some publicly funded expenditure, which is currently estimated to outturn at £41 million.
	
		B. Major Project Bypasses in the current TPI, either on site or expected to be on site by the end of 2004–05, and to be completed by 2010–11
		
			 Scheme Latest Estimated Outturn cost (£ million) Actual/Estimated Start of Works Estimated date of completion Status at 1 April 2004 (2004–05 Business Plan Key/Critical Event) 
		
		
			 A10 Wadesmill Colliers End 39 April 2002 2004–05 Road Open 
			 A21 Lamberhurst Bypass 19 June 2003 2004–05 Road Open 
			 A5 Weeford-Fazeley Improvement 38 April 2004 2005–06 Start of Works (achieved) 
			 A421 Great Barford Bypass 43 2004–05 2006–07 Start of Works 
			 A47 Thorney Bypass 28 2004–05 2006–07 Start of Works 
		
	
	
		C. Major Project Bypasses in the TPI, not yet on site, but to be completed by 2010–11
		
			  Scheme Latest estimated outturn cost (£ million) Status at 1 April 2004 (2004–05 Business Plan Key/ Critical Event) 
		
		
			 A21 Kippings Cross to Lamberhurst Bypass 68 Awaiting TPI entry (achieved) 
			 A3 Hindhead Improvement 236 Public inquiry 
			 A303 Stonehenge 223 No Event—Public inquiry already started 
			 A38 Dobwalls Bypass 36 Publish draft Orders and Environmental Statement 
			 A419 Blunsdon 40 Publish draft Orders and Environmental Statement 
			 A483 Pant-Llanymynech Bypass 41 ECI tenders invited 
			 A505 Dunstable Northern Bypass (A5 to Ml Link) 48 ECI contract awarded 
			 A57/A628 Mottram in Longdendale, Hollingworth and  Tintwistle Bypass 103 ECI contract awarded 
			 A590 High and Low Newton Bypass 22 ECI tenders invited 
			 A595 Parton-Lillyhall Improvement 25 Public inquiry 
			 A64 Rillington Bypass 12 ECI tenders invited 
			 A66 Temple Sowerby and Improvement at Winderwath 23 ECI contract awarded 
			 A69 Haydon Bridge Bypass 24 ECI contract awarded

Strategic Rail Authority

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what will happen to the work force of the Strategic Rail Authority when it is abolished;
	(2)  how much the Department expects to spend in severance payments when the Strategic Rail Authority is abolished.

Alistair Darling: Work is in progress, following publication of the rail White Paper in July, to determine which of the SRA's functions will continue and which body will exercise them. Until decisions have been taken, it is too soon to know how many SRA staff will transfer elsewhere and how many might become eligible for severance payments.

Strategic Rail Authority

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what will happen to the (a) stock and (b) assets held by the Strategic Rail Authority when it is abolished.

Alistair Darling: Appropriate arrangements will be made in the proposed legislation for the transfer of the property, rights and liabilities of the Strategic Rail Authority.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Peace Process

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress towards restoration of devolution to Northern Ireland.

John Spellar: We are engaged in intensive political activity with the aim of restoring stable and inclusive partnership government in Northern Ireland.
	It is important to draw upon the high degree of commitment among the Northern Ireland parties to bring about resumed devolution at an early stage. Recent meetings with all parties have made me confident of support from all sides and good prospects for restoring stable devolved government to Northern Ireland.

12 and 13 July Disturbances

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) police officers, (b) rioters, (c) army personnel and (d) ordinary civilians were injured in disturbances in Northern Ireland on 12 and 13 July.

Ian Pearson: The number of persons injured as a result of the security situation and serious public disorder on 12 and 13 July 2004 is listed in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Police 29 
			 Police Reserve 6 
			 Army 9 
			 Civilian 10 
			 Total 54 
		
	
	Note:
	Statistics are provisional and will be subject to minor amendment.

Andersonstown Newspaper Group

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2004, Official Report, column 530W, on the Andersonstown Newspaper Group, whether the monies were allocated for projects (a) outside the UK and (b) in the Republic of Ireland.

John Spellar: None of the monies referred to in the previous answer have been allocated to the Andersonstown Newspaper Group for projects (a) outside the UK or (b) in the Republic of Ireland.

Anti-TNF Drugs

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to ensure all patients requiring anti-TNF drugs for rheumatoid arthritis will receive this medication within three months.

Angela Smith: The degree to which the health and social care system can respond to presenting needs is limited by the level of resources available. Although there are no plans to ensure that all patients requiring anti-TNF drugs for rheumatoid arthritis will receive this medication within three months, my Department remains committed to extending the availability of these specialist drugs where they will clearly result in a significant improvement in patient care.
	Substantial extra funding has been allocated to the Health and Social Services Boards to allow 100 additional patients to receive anti-TNF drugs during this financial year. The Department of Health, Social Services will continue to seek additional resources to further improve access to these and other specialist medicines.

Apple Growing

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce special programmes to support and encourage apple growing in Northern Ireland.

Ian Pearson: I have no plans to introduce special programmes to support and encourage apple growing in Northern Ireland. Producer organisations in the sector can avail of financial assistance through the structural support arrangements under the EC Fruit and Vegetable Regime. Further, the Environmentally Sensitive Areas and Countryside Management Schemes include options whereby scheme participants may receive payment towards the restoration or re-creation of traditional orchards.
	Aid is available to the apple processing sector through the EU Agricultural Processing and Marketing Grant Scheme and the EU Marketing of Quality Agricultural Products Grant Scheme. Invest NI also provides assistance to companies in the sector.
	The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development continues to provide assistance to the apple sector through its advisory and technical services

Coastal Protection (Northern Ireland)

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his oral statement of 21 July 2004, Official Report, columns 343–70, what Royal Naval presence he plans around the coast of Northern Ireland to secure the Province against illegal importation of arms and explosives by sea.

Adam Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
	There are no plans for a dedicated Royal Naval presence in Northern Irish waters once the Northern Ireland Flotilla is paid off.

Delayed Hospital Discharge

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the level of delayed hospital discharges in the Homefirst Health and Social Services Trust area; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The most recent figures show that, at the end of April 2004, there were 111 patients in the Homefirst Health and Social Services Trust area whose discharge was delayed, amounting to 29 per cent. of the Northern Ireland total of 387. The total number of delayed days amounted to 6,124 with a patient average of 55 delayed days. Thirty-three Homefirst residents had remained in hospital for more than three weeks and another 47 were still in hospital at the end of eight weeks.
	It is unacceptable that some people have to remain in hospital long after they are medically fit for discharge. A target has been set for all Health and Social Services Boards to ensure that, by 31 March 2005, 85 per cent. of all people who are medically fit for discharge should wait no more than eight weeks for community services to be provided and that the number of delayed discharge days is reduced by 10 per cent. compared to 2003–04 levels. Considerable additional resources have been allocated to ensure that these targets are met.

Delayed Hospital Discharge

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action is being taken to reduce delayed hospital discharges within the Homefirst Health and Social Services Trust area.

Angela Smith: The Northern Health and Social Services Board has developed a strategy for older people to reflect the needs of its growing and ageing population. Over the past 18 months the board has been working to implement a comprehensive range of services to address the high levels of delayed discharges in its area, and is planning to invest over £4 million in the Elderly Programme of Care during 2004–05.
	A number of measures have been put in place aimed at reducing hospital admissions and speeding up the discharge process. Additional nursing home places have been funded, Home from Hospital and community rehabilitation services have been expanded across the whole Homefirst Trust area, and Rapid Response Nursing services have been established to provide acute care in the Homefirst community.

Delayed Hospital Discharge

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effect of delayed hospital discharges in the Homefirst Health and Social Services Trust on hospital waiting lists at (a) Antrim and (b) Whiteabbey hospitals.

Angela Smith: Delayed discharges have some impact on waiting lists at Antrim, Whiteabbey and other hospitals, although the scale of this is difficult to quantify. Delayed discharges increase the pressure on medical beds and when medical beds are full, new medical patients may be admitted to surgical wards and this can sometimes impact on the level of surgical activity.
	Work is currently under way to re-design and reform the emergency care service in Northern Ireland. Health and Social Services Boards and Trusts are required to develop plans to streamline processes relating to emergency patient flows at all hospitals so that, by 31 March 2005, the number of delayed discharge days is reduced by 10 per cent. compared to 2003–04 levels. This work, coupled with planned increases in capacity, such as the 24-bed ward at Antrim hospital due to open in 2005, will reduce the need for medical patients to be cared for in surgical wards.

Departmental Annual Report

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many copies of his Department's annual report were printed in each year since 1997; how many were sold in each year; and what the (a) publication costs and (b) sales revenue were.

Paul Murphy: The Stationery Office has provided the following information:
	
		
			  Number of NIO annual reports issued 
		
		
			 1997(64) — 
			 1998(64) — 
			 1999(64) — 
			 2000 519 
			 2001 558 
			 2002 494 
			 2003 443 
			 2004(65) 321 
		
	
	(64) The Northern Ireland Office has only produced a published version of its annual report since 2000. Prior to that the NIO was one of a number of contributors to the Northern Ireland Departmental Report, an annually published report produced by the Department of Finance and Personnel (NI), which set out the work and expenditure of all the different Departments in Northern Ireland.
	(65) The 2004 report became available for purchase only on 7 May 2004 so final details of costs and sales are not to hand. Figures shown are the latest available.

Departmental Vehicles

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many road vehicles are operated by the Department and its agencies; how many personal injury accidents involving road vehicles operated by the Department have occurred within each of the last five years; and what the Department's policy is for managing work-related road safety.

Paul Murphy: The NIO and its agencies and the 11 Departments and agencies of the NI Administration operate a total of 2,492 vehicles. The number of personal injury accidents involving road vehicles operated by the NIO and the NI Departments within each of the last five years is outlined as follows:
	
		
			  Number of personal injury accidents 
		
		
			 1999–2000 9 
			 2000–01 9 
			 2001–02 9 
			 2002–03 7 
			 2003–04 9 
		
	
	Policies for managing work-related road safety are encompassed within health and safety policies as required by Health and Safety legislation. These include centrally issued guidance, and local guidance where appropriate, on issues such as the use of mobile phones while driving, the need for drivers of certain Government vehicles to be medically examined, road worthiness of vehicles, driver competence and the availability of driver training.

Employment Opportunities

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many adults were available for work in Northern Ireland in (a) June 2004 and (b) June 1999.

Barry Gardiner: Latest figures from the Spring (March–May) 2004 Labour Force Survey estimated that there were 754,000 persons aged 16 and over who were either working or available for work in Northern Ireland. This compares to a figure of 748,000 for Spring (March–May) 1999.

Employment Opportunities

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were in (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment in Northern Ireland in (i) June 2004 and (ii) June 1999.

Barry Gardiner: The most up-to-date employee jobs data relates to March 2004. Estimates of the number of full-time and part-time employee jobs in Northern Ireland for June 1999 and March 2004 are as follows.
	
		Employee Jobs(66) in Northern Ireland
		
			  June 1999 March 2004 2 
		
		
			 Full-Time Employee Jobs 422,150 441,070 
			 Part-Time Employee Jobs 201,850 235,450 
			 Total Employee Jobs 624,000 676,530 
		
	
	(66) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10
	(67) Provisional
	Figures are not seasonally adjusted

Employment Opportunities

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were employed in the small and medium enterprise sector in Northern Ireland in (a) 2004 and (b) 1999.

John Spellar: Estimates from the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) of the number of employee jobs in small and medium-sized enterprises (i.e. enterprises with less than 250 employees) in the private sector in Northern Ireland for March 1999 and March 2004 are as follows.
	
		Employee jobs(68) in private sector small and medium sized enterprises
		
			  Number of employee jobs 
		
		
			 March 1999 288,900 
			 March 2004 (68) 318,200 
		
	
	(68) Provisional
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	Figures are not seasonally adjusted

Fisheries Conservancy Board Vessel

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken to ensure traceability of the Fisheries Conservancy Board vessel since the disappearance of the previous boat from Lough Neagh.

Angela Smith: There are no measures available which are foolproof and which would ensure traceability of a stolen boat. However, there are other factors which may enable the Board to trace the vessel. The Board has registered the vessel with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Accordingly, if it was stolen and recovered it could be traced back to the Board. The Board is also looking at whether there are cost effective measures, which might make traceability easier. Furthermore, appropriate equipment on board the vessel carry serial numbers.
	The Board has taken measures to try to protect the boat from theft. The vessel is moored in a prominent berth in Ballycastle Marina. The Marina is staffed from 8.00 am to midnight during the summer and from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm in winter. There are also three CCTVs covering the Marina for security purposes.

Football

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the money will be released by the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure to pay for the improved floodlights at Windsor Park.

Angela Smith: To date the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) has made no commitment to release money to pay for the improved floodlights at Windsor Park. However, money may be made available under the facilities component of the Soccer Strategy. This would be dependent on my being satisfied that the necessary changes in the governance of soccer have been implemented and that remaining issues, including the completion by the Irish Football Association (IFA) of a detailed audit of priority football facilities, are addressed in accordance with accountability requirements for public funds.

Football

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on implementing the football strategy in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: Since the Irish Football Association's (IFA) decision on 6 April 2004 to accept the recommendations of the football strategy, I have set up a Sports Council led Implementation Group to oversee the implementation of the strategy in Northern Ireland. This Group has held a number of meetings and advertisements were recently placed in the press by the IFA for the appointment of two external members to the Association's new Executive Committee. Arrangements are also presently being made for the appointment of a new IFA Chief Executive. In addition to these, I have established a Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure led Monitoring Group to ensure that overall progress remains consistent with the central aims of the football strategy. This Group held its first meeting on 23 July 2004.

Football

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the floodlights at Windsor Park will be upgraded in time for Northern Ireland's first home World Cup matches.

Angela Smith: Responsibility for upgrading the floodlights at Windsor Park in time for Northern Ireland's first home World Cup matches rests with the governing body of Soccer in Northern Ireland, the Irish Football Association (IFA), and the owners of the stadium, Linfield FC. I understand that the IFA and Linfield FC are presently putting arrangements in place for the necessary upgrading work to be carried out within the given time constraints.

Hazardous Waste

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many sites in Northern Ireland are licensed to accept hazardous waste; how many such sites there were in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: At present in Northern Ireland, the legislation that defines hazardous waste are the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (which came into operation on 31 March 2003) and the Landfill Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (which came into force on 6 January 2004). Hazardous waste was not defined in Northern Ireland waste legislation before this.
	There are currently no landfill sites nor 'permitted' disposal facilities authorised to accept hazardous waste. However, there are various treatment facilities and transfer stations authorised to accept special waste as defined by the Special Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998.

Hospital-acquired Infections

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of hospital-acquired infection were recorded (a) at each hospital and (b) within each health and social services board area in Northern Ireland in each of the last four years.

Angela Smith: There were 228 reports of patient episodes of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections in Northern Ireland in 2001–02 and 218 in 2002–03. The figures for 2003–04 will be available shortly. Records of such reports are maintained on an acute hospital trust basis and are set out in the following tables along with a breakdown by health and social services board. Earlier data and data for other infections are not available.
	
		Table 1: Number of MRSA patient episodes by acute hospital trust
		
			 Acute hospital trust 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Altnagelvin Group 22 13 
			 Belfast City Hospital 55 46 
			 Causeway 8 9 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group 13 16 
			 Down Lisburn 10 8 
			 Green Park Healthcare 2 4 
			 Mater Infirmorum Hospital 16 19 
			 Newry and Mourne 6 4 
			 Royal Group of Hospitals 40 26 
			 Sperrin Lakeland 5 9 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals 17 29 
			 United Hospitals Group 34 35 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Number of MRSA patient episodes by health board
		
			 Health and social services board 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Northern 42 44 
			 Southern 19 20 
			 Eastern 140 132 
			 Western 27 22

Individual Learning Accounts

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action has been taken by the Department of Employment and Learning to recover the estimated loss identified by the Auditor General's Report NIA 41/03, HC 673, as having accumulated through irregular expenditure on the Individual Learning Accounts Scheme.

Barry Gardiner: The NIAO report on Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs) indicated potential irregular payments to providers in Northern Ireland (NI). The Department for Employment and Learning has obtained legal advice on the scale and nature of the potential recoveries as part of a wider validation exercise; has liaised with the Department for Education and Skills and the police, in England, on the progress of their investigations; has undertaken extensive checks with Companies Registry NI and Companies House Great Britain (GB) to establish the present status of ILA providers; and obtained credit rating reports on the providers highlighted by the validation work. The Department is undertaking audits of providers to determine the actual potential for recovery and a number of providers which operate also in GB is being pursued on DEL's behalf by the relevant police authorities.

Infantry Battalions (Northern Ireland)

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many men and women as at 21 July were serving with each infantry battalion of the British Army who were battle fit or able to serve on operational tours in Northern Ireland or overseas; and what the establishment strength is of each of those battalions.

Adam Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
	The unit establishment of each infantry battalion is given as follows:
	
		
			 Infantry battalion Establishment 
		
		
			 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards 620 
			 1st Battalion The Coldstream Guards 620 
			 1st Battalion The Scots Guards 670 
			 1st Battalion The Irish Guards 620 
			 1st Battalion The Welsh Guards 620 
			 1st Battalion The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) 620 
			 1st Battalion The Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment) 620 
			 1st Battalion The Kings Own Scottish Borderers 620 
			 1st Battalion The Black Watch (The Highland Regiment) 651 
			 1st Battalion The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons) 670 
			 1st Battalion The Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) 687 
			 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) 670 
			 2nd Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) 620 
			 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 670 
			 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 620 
			 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment 667 
			 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment 620 
			 1st Battalion The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment 620 
			 1st Battalion The Kings Regiment 670 
			 1st Battalion The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire 667 
			 1st Battalion The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment) 620 
			 1st Battalion The Queens Lancashire Regiment 620 
			 1st Battalion The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) 670 
			 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd, 87th and The Ulster Defence Regiment) 620 
			 1st Battalion The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment 620 
			 1st Battalion The Cheshire Regiment 667 
			 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh Fusiliers 620 
			 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot) 670 
			 1st Battalion The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 620 
			 1st Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th and 70th Foot) 620 
			 1st Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's) 670 
			 1st Battalion The Light Infantry 670 
			 2nd Battalion The Light Infantry 620 
			 1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets 620 
			 2nd Battalion The Royal Green Jackets 620 
			 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles 712 
			 2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles 712 
			 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment 687 
			 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment 687 
			 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment 687 
			 Total 25,874 
		
	
	Information relating to the number of personnel classed as 'fit' in individual infantry battalions is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, as at 3 July 2004, the number of personnel classed as 'fit' in the infantry as a whole was 23,335. Personnel are defined as 'fit' when they are considered to be fit for service on operations anywhere in the world. It should be noted that although an individual soldier may be medically downgraded, they may still be liable for deployment, depending on the reason for the downgrading, the nature and location of the deployment, and medical advice.

Invest Northern Ireland

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average time taken to process an application for assistance by (a) Invest Northern Ireland and (b) Invest Northern Ireland's legacy organisations was in the most recent relevant period.

John Spellar: The Invest NI target processing time for larger business development projects is 60 days, with a target of 30 days for less complex development cases. These times relate to 'controllable' time, ie periods when an application is being dealt with by Invest NI, and do not include periods when further information is required to be provided by the client. While target timeframes are currently being met in the majority of cases, there can be exceptions where, for example, the case is particularly complex or the negotiations prolonged.
	The average processing target time operated by the legacy organisations IDE and LEDU, was 83 days. Invest NI has set target times which are shorter than those operated by these legacy bodies. It would require a disproportionate administrative effort to attempt to provide precise information on the legacy agencies' performance. However, it is clear that in the majority of cases the target timeframes were met and where this was not the case it again tended to reflect the complexity of the case concerned.

Mortality Statistics

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 20 July 2004, reference 184778, how many of the patients in the table for (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03 subsequently died in hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: There is no information available on whether any particular patient recorded in the mandatory surveillance of MRSA patient episodes subsequently died in hospital as a result of that episode. The tables published annually by the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre Northern Ireland regarding such patient episodes of MRSA are derived from data mandatorily supplied by acute hospital trusts. The data is aggregated and does not carry personal identifiers.

Movanagher Fish Farm

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) temperature and (b) quality checks have been carried out in the last 12 months by staff of the Movanagher Fish Farm to detect poor water quality.

Angela Smith: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Staff at Movanagher Fish Farm record the temperature of the inflowing water supply on a daily basis for management purposes.
	(b) Staff at Movanagher fish farm do not monitor water quality in the river and canal supplying water to the farm. This is the responsibility of the EHS Water Management Unit. Water quality is monitored at four points on the Lower Bann. The nearest monitoring point to Movanagher Fish Farm is at Kilrea Bridge, 3 to 4 km upstream of the farm. Samples are taken monthly. In addition, farm staff undertake checks of dissolved oxygen of the inflowing water supply if flows and temperature suggest that fish may be stressed.
	EHS is committed to chemical and biological monitoring of all significant waterways in Northern Ireland in line with national and international classification schemes and agreements. DCAL continues to engage with EHS and others to bring forward initiatives to address widespread water quality problems in Northern Ireland's waterways.

National Stadium

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why the specification for a national stadium requires a site of 60 acres.

Angela Smith: In setting the minimum acreage specification for a possible multi-sports stadium in Northern Ireland at 60 acres, the Strategic Investment Board (SIB) is seeking to satisfy both the design requirements of the three sports concerned (soccer, rugby and Gaelic games) and defray costs to the public purse as much as possible through the acquisition of additional land space for mixed-use business development in and around the stadium itself. However, as this is not yet a formal procurement process, the SIB has been willing to consider notifications of interest from landowners of sites below 60 acres provided they satisfied the key criteria of acceptability to the three sports, deliverability and potential economic benefits.

National Stadium

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the reason was for a deadline of 30 June for submissions on a new national stadium.

Angela Smith: The deadline of 30 June for submissions on a possible multi-sports stadium in Northern Ireland was set because I have asked the Strategic Investment Board (SIB) to complete its evaluation of potential sites for a multi-sports stadium and report back to me with an appropriate location by the autumn. However, as this is not yet a formal procurement process, the SIB has been willing to consider notifications of interest from landowners submitted after 30 June provided they satisfied the key criteria of acceptability to the three sports concerned (soccer, rugby and Gaelic games), deliverability and potential economic benefits.

Nursing Staff

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the nursing staff at each Northern Ireland hospital are not of UK origin.

Angela Smith: Nurses not of UK origin are employed within the HPSS but cannot be identified separately either from HRMS or by the Trusts themselves. Information is only held by Trusts on the number of EC and non-EC nurses employed. Figures for the percentage of non-EC nursing staff working within each Health and Social Services Trust are as follows.
	
		Percentage of non-EC nurses working within each Health and Social Services Trust as at 30 June 2004
		
			 HSS(69) Trust Percentage of non-EC nurses working within each HSS Trust 
		
		
			 Altnagelvin Group HSS Trust 3.0 
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 0.0 
			 Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust 4.0 
			 Causeway HSS Trust 1.4 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust 4.5 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge Community HSS Trust 0.5 
			 Down Lisburn HSS Trust 5.0 
			 Foyle Community HSS Trust 0.3 
			 Green Park Healthcare HSS Trust 8.0 
			 Homefirst Community HSS Trust 9.3 
			 Mater Infirmorum Hospital HSS Trust 7.5 
			 Newry and Mourne HSS Trust 0.4 
			 North and West Belfast HSS Trust 0.2 
			 Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust 10.3 
			 South and East Belfast HSS Trust 0.0 
			 Sperrin Lakeland HSS Trust 1.5 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals Group HSS Trust 3.6 
			 United Hospitals Group HSS Trust 3.8 
			 Total 3.8 
		
	
	(69) Health and Social Services

Nursing Staff

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the potential impact recruiting nursing staff from overseas to work in Northern Ireland's hospitals will have on health services in less developed countries.

Angela Smith: The Department is currently drafting guidance on International Nursing Recruitment that will advise HPSS employers not to actively recruit from developing countries that are experiencing nursing shortages of their own.
	The majority of overseas nurses currently employed within the HPSS are from the Philippines, where nursing surpluses exist and the national Government actively supports recruitment by health service employers.

Parades

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what participating bands were listed in the notification to the Parades Commission submitted by Ballymacarrett District Loyal Orange Lodge No 6 as organisers of the 1 July parade; and what bands participated in the parade.

Ian Pearson: Information in relation to Notified bands is as follows. Police are currently investigating if additional bands attended without prior notification.
	Notified
	1. Ulster Volunteer Flute Band
	2. Albertbridge Accordion Band
	3. Parkinson Accordion Band
	4. Crimson Star Flute Band
	5. Pride of the Hill, Carnmoney
	6. Lord Carson Memorial Accordion
	7. Hillview Flute Band
	8. Gertrude Star Flute Band
	9. Pride of the Shore
	10. Pride of the Ravan
	11. Rising Sons of Donaghadee
	12. East Belfast True Blue Flute Band
	13. Ballymacarrett Defenders Flute Band
	14. Ballysillan Volunteers Flute Band
	15. Shankill Road Protestant Boy Flute Band
	16. Rising Sons of East Belfast Flute Band
	17. Shankill Star
	18. Pride of the Shankill Flute Band
	19. Ballybeen Young Loyalist Flute Band
	20. Pride of Laganvalley Flute Band
	21. Fairhill Flute Band
	22. Monkstown YCV Flute Band
	23. East Belfast Protestant Boys
	24. Shankill Road Defenders Flute Band
	25. Millar Memorial Flute Band
	26. Fusiliers Flute Band
	27. Crown Defenders Flute Band
	28. Mount Vernon Flute Band
	29. Ballynafeigh Apprentice Boys
	30. North Down Defenders Flute Band
	31. Castlereagh Young Defenders Flute Band
	32. Blues and Royals East Belfast

PFI/PPP Contracts

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many contracts his Department had with (a) Barclays, (b) the Royal Bank of Scotland, (c) UBS Warburg and (d) the Bank of Scotland for advice on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts in each financial year since 2001–02; and what fees were paid in each case.

Ian Pearson: None of the 11 Northern Ireland Departments nor the Northern Ireland Office have entered into contracts with any of the institutions identified.

Public Bodies

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many positions on public bodies in Northern Ireland are occupied by persons aged under 25 years.

Paul Murphy: At the 16 July 2004, 16 persons aged under 25 held ministerial appointments to the Boards of public and other governing bodies in Northern Ireland.
	Other information on appointments to bodies sponsored by Northern Ireland's 11 Government Departments can be found in the Public Appointments Annual Report for 2002–03. Information on appointments made by the Northern Ireland Office during the same period can be found in Appendix F of the NIO Departmental Report for 2004. Copies of both reports are available from the Library of the House and can be found on the internet at: www.ofmdfmni. gov.uk/publicappointments and www.nio.gov.uk/pdf/deptreport2004.pdf

Rail Network

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public money has been spent on (a) maintaining and (b) upgrading the rail network between Belfast and the border with the Irish Republic in each of the past five years.

John Spellar: Public money spent on maintaining and upgrading the rail network between Belfast and the border with the Irish Republic in each of the past five years is as follows:
	
		Infrastructure maintenance—Cross-border line
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 1999–2000 668 
			 2000–01 691 
			 2001–02 696 
			 2002–03 720 
			 2003–04 725 
			 Total 3,500 
		
	
	This includes work carried out on the track, level crossings, bridges/embankments and buildings/stations.
	
		Upgrading cross-border line
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 1999–2000 5,150 
			 2000–01 l,175 
			 2001–02 2,800 
			 2002–03 2,552 
			 2003–04 5,700 
			 Total 17,377 
		
	
	This includes work carried out on resignalling at Lurgan, the City junction to Central relay, fencing, conversion to full barrier and the installation of CCTV at Moira and Trummery accommodation crossings and the upgrading of Belfast Central station.

Rail Network

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public money from Northern Ireland Departments has been spent on (a) maintaining and (b) improving the Enterprise rail service between Belfast and Dublin in each of the past five years.

John Spellar: Public money spent on maintaining and improving the Enterprise rail service between Belfast and Dublin in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 1999–2000 523 
			 2000–01 786 
			 2001–02 932 
			 2002–03 1,006 
			 2003–04 1,200 
			 Total 4,447 
		
	
	Within this, around £1.9 million was spent on routine maintenance of the rolling stock and around £2.5 million on the refurbishment of Enterprise carriages. Translink classify the latter as planned maintenance.

Rail Network

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 15 July 2004, Official Report, column 1329W, on the Railway Review Group, if he will list the officials from (a) the Department for Regional Development, (b) the Department of Finance and Personnel and (c) Translink who are members of the Railway Review Group.

John Spellar: Listed as follows are the officials from the Department for Regional Development, Department of Finance and Personnel, Translink and the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company who are members of Railways Review Group.
	
		Members of Railways Review Group
		
			  Official 
		
		
			 (a) Doreen Brown (Department for Regional Development)—Joint Chairperson 
			  David Sterling (Department for Regional Development) 
			  Brian White (Department for Regional Development) 
			  Michael Pollock (Department for Regional Development) 
			  Garry McKenna (Department for Regional Development) 
			 (b) Michael Brennan (Department of Finance and Personnel) 
			 (c) Keith Moffatt (Translink)—Joint Chairperson 
			  Jim Aiken (Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company) 
			  Stephen Armstrong (Translink) 
			  Clive Bradberry (Translink) 
			  Mal McGreevy (Translink)

Rail Network

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the Department of Transport's New Approach to Transport Appraisal; and whether future investment decisions relating to Northern Ireland's railways network will be considered in the light of this report.

John Spellar: The New Approach to Transport Appraisal is applied to all transport projects as set out in the "Guidance on Methodology for Multi Modal Studies" and this is fully consistent with the Treasury "Green Book-Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government" which is used to inform investment decisions in Northern Ireland.

Royal Group of Hospitals, Belfast

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are employed in the Royal Group of Hospitals, Belfast in (a) clinical and medical, (b) secretarial and administrative, (c) ancillary and cleaning, (d) security and (e) catering positions; and what percentage in each category are non-Roman Catholics.

Angela Smith: The information requested is as follows. Clinical staff are those who provide a direct service to patients. Therefore, clinical staff within this trust include the following terms and conditions groups: nursing, midwifery and health visiting, professional and technical, medical and dental. It was impossible to break down the figures for ancillary and cleaning, security and catering as requested so information has been provided as detailed. Cleaning and security staff are employed by the Royal Group of Hospitals HSS and are included in the figures for operatives.
	
		(a) Table 1: Number of clinical staff positions in the Royal Group of Hospitals HSS 1 Trust as at 23 July 2004 and percentage in each category that are non-Roman Catholics
		
			 Group Headcount WTE 2 Percentage of staff non-Roman Catholic 
		
		
			 Nursing, midwifery and health  visiting staff 2,761 2,291.95 46.12 
			 Professional and technical Staff 864 770.31 55.56 
			 Medical staff 675 635.73 66.81 
			 Dental staff 43 26.52 83.72 
		
	
	(70) Health and Social Services
	(71) Whole time equivalent
	
		(b) Table 2: Number of administration and clerical positions in the Royal Group of Hospitals HSS 1 Trust as at 23 July 2004 and percentage that are non-Roman Catholics
		
			 Group Headcount WTE 2 Percentage of staff non-Roman Catholic 
		
		
			 Administration and clerical staff 1,090 970.5 27.80 
		
	
	(72) Health and Social Services
	(73) Whole time equivalent
	
		(c), (d) and (e) Table 3: Number of ancillary and general positions in the Royal Group of Hospitals HSS 1 Trust as at 23 July 2004 and percentage that are non-Roman Catholics
		
			 Grades Headcount WTE 2 Percentage of staff non-Roman Catholic 
		
		
			 Operative 715 485.07 4.2 
			 Catering assistant 155 109.00 7.1 
			 Cook 27 24.59 18.52 
			 Other grades 26 24.78 26.90 
		
	
	(74) Health and Social Services
	(75) Whole time equivalent

Royal Group of Hospitals, Belfast

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are in place to ensure equality of opportunity for employment at the Royal Group of Hospitals, Belfast.

Angela Smith: The Royal Group of Hospitals carry out a three yearly review of their employment composition and practices in accordance with Article 55 of the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998. The last review, carried out in 2002, was submitted to the Equality Commission, which is the body with responsibility to ensure compliance with the legislation. All job vacancies are advertised widely and the advert includes a statement welcoming applicants from groups which are currently under represented in the work force. The Royal Group of Hospitals also promotes equality of opportunity for all groups covered under section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

Schools (New Build)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many schools in Northern Ireland he estimates will be replaced as a result of the new build programme which is under way.

Barry Gardiner: The Department of Education's current capital building programme will result in 130 schools being replaced.

Second Homes

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of dwellings that were used as second homes in the towns of (a) Portballintrae, (b) Portstewart, (c) Portrush and (d) Castlerock last year.

John Spellar: Although the use of dwellings as second homes has a significant impact on the housing market and on the housing stock available for permanent occupation by residents in certain areas, it is not possible to establish accurately the extent of second home use in specific areas without detailed field work. No estimates have therefore been produced for these towns.

Secondary Education

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the result was of the public consultation on (a) the future of grammar schools in Northern Ireland and (b) on the 11-plus examination in Northern Ireland.

Barry Gardiner: There has been no consultation on the future of grammar schools, which will remain as an integral part of the schools system under new arrangements for post-primary education. Responses to the earlier consultation following the Burns report showed a clear majority favoured the abolition of the present 11-plus transfer test.

Sexual Abuse Victims

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what research he has collated on the number of individuals in Northern Ireland who have suffered sexual abuse.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not available, as cases of sexual abuse are largely unreported, and information on the number of people who have reported experiencing sexual abuse is not collected centrally.
	Information is, however, available on the number of children who have been placed on the Child Protection Register because they are at risk of sexual abuse. At 31 March 2003, there were 238 such children.
	In addition, during the financial year 2003–04, there were 1,780 notifiable sexual offences against adults and children recorded by the Police Service of Northern Ireland. During 2002–03, when in total 1,469 notifiable sexual offences were recorded, the victim was under 18 years of age in 851 cases (out of 1,418 cases where the age of the victim was known or applicable).

Sion Mills

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what future development is anticipated in the Sion Mills area up to 2030 that the wastewater treatment works due for completion in March 2006 will be designed to cater for.

John Spellar: The Chief Executive of Water Services (Mrs. Katharine Bryan) has been asked to write to the hon. Member in response to this question.
	Letter from Mrs. Katharine Bryan to Mr. Roy Beggs, dated September 2004
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about anticipated future development in Sion Mills catered for in the design of the planned wastewater treatment works for the area. I have been asked to reply as Chief Executive of Water Service as the issue falls within my operational responsibility.
	Water Service estimates that the existing wastewater treatment works at Sion Mills serves a population equivalent of some 3,100 taking account of both domestic and non-domestic properties. Water Service is proposing to undertake a major upgrade of the Works as it does not have capacity for dealing with significant additional flows.
	The new Works will be designed to cater for a population equivalent of 3,700 by the year 2030. This has been assessed using established methodologies taking into account population growth and anticipated housing and commercial development. This projection does not take into account the recent proposal to develop the Herdman's Mills site in Sion Mills. This could have an impact on the required capacity of the new Works but the implications cannot be assessed at this stage. However, as the design of the Works is still at an early stage, it should be possible to allow for the impact of the proposals for the Herdman's Mills site at a later stage in the design.

Textiles Industry

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were employed in the textiles industry in Northern Ireland in (a) June 2004 and (b) June 1999.

John Spellar: The most up-to-date employee jobs data relates to March 2004. Estimates of the number of employee jobs in the textiles industry in Northern Ireland for June 1999, and March 2004 are as follows.
	
		Employee jobs(76) in the textiles industry in Northern Ireland
		
			  Number of employee jobs 
		
		
			 June 1999 19,300 
			 March 2004(76) 7,360 
		
	
	(76) Provisional
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Figures are not seasonally adjusted

Titanic Quarter

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what value he places on Northern Ireland's connection with the Titanic as a means of attracting visitors to Northern Ireland.

Barry Gardiner: The Northern Ireland Tourist Board's 'Tourism in Northern Ireland—A Strategic Framework for Action 2004—2007' has identified Belfast, and in particular its historical connections with Titanic (Maritime) Belfast, as one of five signature projects for Northern Ireland tourism.
	Belfast City Council and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board are currently in the process of commissioning research into realising the potential value of the 'Titanic' theme for Belfast and Northern Ireland. It is anticipated that this research will begin in September 2004 with the first draft results available by January 2005.
	The Titanic brand could have substantial tourist potential, especially on the centenary in 2012 and the years immediately after. Conservatively, MAGNI (National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland) estimate that visitor numbers to a new museum attraction and to Belfast could be in the region of 300,000 per annum. Such is the interest in the Titanic and the city in which she was built, that it is considered that visitors will be attracted from all over the world.

Titanic Quarter

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how prominent a role the Titanic story will play in the proposed Museum for Sea and Sky at Titanic Quarter.

Angela Smith: So far as the possible development of a museum at Titanic Quarter is concerned, I would refer the hon. Member to the questions tabled on 28 June 2004, Official Report, column 56W (179804). It is anticipated that exhibitions on the Titanic will be included in this museum and would obviously feature prominently in the year 2012, the centenary of the Titanic disaster. The museum would also include exhibitions both temporary and permanent on themes related to, for example, the industrial history of Belfast and the story of the people of Northern Ireland.

University Admissions

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the lowest A level grades were with which students from (a) Northern Ireland and (b) outside the UK were admitted to each faculty at (i) Queen's University, Belfast and (ii) the University of Ulster in each of the last 10 years.

Barry Gardiner: The Department for Employment and Learning does not hold A level grades for entrants to higher education institutions nor information by faculty. From 1994–95 to 2001–02 A level points scores and in 2002–03 tariff scores are held for full-time undergraduate entrants that accessed higher education through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
	In each of the years between 1994–95 and 2002–03 the lowest recorded A level point-tariff score of students enrolled at both Queen's University Belfast and the University of Ulster was equivalent to one E at A level. Information on 2003–04 enrolments is not yet available.
	Although this may be the lowest recorded A level score for entrants, institutions may consider a wide range of qualifications and experience in addition to or instead of A levels when considering student applications. It is also the case that A level point-tariff scores may not be available for all students applying directly to the institutions, students making late applications and some students from outside the UK who generally do not take A level examinations.

West Belfast Festival/Gasyard Feile

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public money has been allocated to the (a) West Belfast Festival and (b) Gasyard Feile in Londonderry in each of the last three years, broken down by Department.

Angela Smith: The amount of public money allocated by Northern Ireland Departments and their associated public bodies to (a) West Belfast Festival and (b) Gasyard Feile is as follows.
	
		
			  West Belfast Festival Gasyard Feile 
		
		
			 2001–02 258,030 0 
			 2002–03 358,138 0 
			 2003–04 317,321 0 
		
	
	Detailed breakdown by department is as follows.
	
		£
		
			  Gasyard Feile West Belfast Festival 
			 DCAL 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Arts Council grant in aid ArtsDev Fund — — — 45,000 ASOP 45,00 ASOP 80,000 ASOP 
			 Strategic Review — — — — — 4,850 
			 Arts and Business — — — — — 7,500 
			 Foras Na Gaeilge DCAL — — — 23,000 12,000 16,000 
			 NI Events Co — — — — — 20,000 
			 NIFTC — — — — — 0 
		
	
	
		£
		
			  Gasyard Feile West Belfast Festival 
		
		
			 DSD   
			 BRO — — — 10,000 46,200 105,160 
			 VCU — — — — — 68,811 
			 EU — — — 150,330 113,024 — 
			 NWDO — — — — — — 
			
			 DFP   
			 BLSP — — — — 121,914 — 
			
			 DETI   
			 NITB — — — 20,000 20,000 15,000 
			
			 OFMDFM   
			 CRU — — — 9,700 — — 
			
			 Total Public Funding Support — — — 258,030 358,138 317,321

PRIME MINISTER

Government Information

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Prime Minister whether Ministers are required to (a) consult and (b) notify other Ministers before deciding not to comply with recommendations by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration under the Code of Practice on access to Government information.

Christopher Leslie: I have been asked to reply.
	Consultation between Ministers is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code.

2012 Olympic Games

Don Foster: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what plans he has to create a new ministerial post with specific responsibility for London's bid for the 2012 Olympic Games; whether the post will carry Cabinet status; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions regarding the creation of a new ministerial post with specific responsibility for London's bid for the 2012 Olympic Games he has held with (a) the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, (b) London 2012 and (c) other bodies; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: Current ministerial arrangements already provide for a Cabinet Minister with explicit responsibility for the Olympic bid. In this capacity, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport represents the Government, alongside the Mayor and the Chairman of the British Olympic Association, on the Stakeholders Panel, which is overseeing the delivery of the bid.

EU Army

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Prime Minister what his policy is on the French Government's position on the establishment of an EU army.

Tony Blair: The framework for the European Security and Defence Policy was set out in the European Council Conclusions from Nice in December 2000. These were unanimously agreed by all member states. They explicitly say that this policy "does not involve the establishment of a European army".

Intelligence Services

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Prime Minister what research his Office has commissioned regarding reform of the United Kingdom's intelligence services.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to my statement of 14 July 2004, Official Report, column 1431.

Iraq

Robert Marshall-Andrews: To ask the Prime Minister on what date he was informed of the withdrawal of the Iraq intelligence reports to which paragraph 405 of Lord Butler's report refers.

John Stanley: To ask the Prime Minister which official at No.10 Downing Street was first informed, by whom, and on what date, of the withdrawal of the intelligence on Iraqi production of chemical and biological agent referred to in paragraph 405 of the Butler Report.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. and right hon. Members to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (Mr. Adam Price), on 21 July, Official Report, column 285W.

Ministerial Visits

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the local authority areas he has not visited as Prime Minister.

Tony Blair: The information is not held in the format requested. For visits I undertook during 2003, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Norman Baker) on 26 April 2004, Official Report, columns 829–30W.

North Korea

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Prime Minister if he will meet representatives from North Korea to discuss (a) its nuclear weapons programme and (b) security on the Korean peninsula.

Tony Blair: I have no current plans to do so.

US Presidential Elections

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Prime Minister whether he plans to meet (a) Mr. John Kerry and (b) President George W. Bush before the US presidential elections.

Tony Blair: I have no current plans to do so.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Prime Minister what research he has commissioned into the threats from weapons of mass destruction programmes in hostile countries.

Tony Blair: The Government keep such threats under constant review.

Zimbabwe

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to meet leaders of other United Nations Security Council member states to discuss methods of resolving the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe.

Tony Blair: I have regular discussions with members of the United Nations including on Zimbabwe. We are considering the next steps at the UN with colleagues on the Security Council and in the General Assembly.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

House Prices

David Ruffley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the percentage change in house prices in Suffolk was in each of the last seven years.

Keith Hill: The annual average property prices in Suffolk and the year-on-year percentage price changes for the past seven years have been as follows:
	
		
			  Annual average price (£) Year-on-year percentage change 
		
		
			 1996 62,205 — 
			 1997 68,377 9.9 
			 1998 73,669 7.7 
			 1999 81,221 10.3 
			 2000 93,495 15.1 
			 2001 106,018 13.4 
			 2002 129,167 22.3 
			 2003 149,167 15.1 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figures reflect prices at the completion stage.
	2. Purchases by sitting tenants (under "Right-to-Buy" schemes) are excluded because the prices are below market value.
	3. Prices below £1,000 or above £20 million are also excluded—so that the average prices are not affected by outliers.
	4. The average prices are simple averages, not mix-adjusted averages. The reason for this is that the number of transactions obtained through the Survey of Mortgage Lenders is relatively small for a single county. Consequently Land Registry figures have been used instead. However, these can only be presented as simple averages. It should be noted, however, that changes in simple average prices from one period to the next may reflect both actual price change and change in the mix of properties sold in the respective periods.
	Source:
	Land Registry

House Prices

John Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list average house prices by region in each year since 1997.

Keith Hill: The mix-adjusted average house prices by region for each year since 1997 have been as follows:
	
		£
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 North East 56,503 58,965 63,866 66,599 69,656 82,391 94,590 
			 North West(77) 62,951 67,555 72,158 77,923 85,059 99,122 108,956 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 60,874 63,312 67,644 71,416 77,833 94,116 107,325 
			 East Midlands 62,656 68,907 71,532 80,259 89,226 111,511 133,215 
			 West Midlands 69,598 75,840 81,315 92,055 99,200 120,618 132,898 
			 East 84,306 95,478 102,525 118,718 129,666 158,248 181,494 
			 London 107,968 123,921 150,909 174,727 188,342 206,960 236,476 
			 South East 98,329 113,194 124,490 147,220 161,049 187,562 213,115 
			 South West 75,064 83,269 92,171 106,202 118,902 146,784 170,560 
			 
			 England 79,814 89,714 100,012 114,335 123,149 144,081 165,834 
		
	
	(77) Published figures for the whole of North West region are not available prior to 1999. So the figures shown for 1997 and 1998 are estimates derived from a weighted combination of published prices for Merseyside and for "North West excluding Merseyside".
	Notes:
	1. Mix-adjustment nullifies the effect of changes in the mix of properties sold from one period to the next through the use of fixed weights. New weights are introduced in January each year.
	2. The above figures are based on mortgage completions only—i.e. they exclude purchases for cash.
	3. Up to 2002, the figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample of completions obtained through the Survey of Mortgage Lenders. From 2003, the figures are based on a substantially larger sample.
	Source:
	Survey of Mortgage Lenders

Housing Demand

John Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what his Department's estimate is of demand for housing units in each decade to 2050, broken down by UK region;
	(2)  what his Department's estimate is of extra demand for housing units by decade to 2050, by UK region.

Keith Hill: The following table shows growth in household numbers using the 1996-based household projections for English regions. These give the additional households projected to form if demographic trends continue. They are not estimates of demand as they do not take account of future economic trends and housing supply.
	The household projections are to 2021 only. The figures show projected additional households between 2001 and 2011 and between 2001 and 2021.
	
		Households in Thousands:
		
			  2001 Base Growth to 2011 Growth to 2021 
		
		
			 England 20,992 1,527 3,008 
			 North East 1,099 36 68 
			 North West 2,875 122 235 
			 Yorks. and Number 2,136 124 236 
			 East Midlands 1,764 140 269 
			 West Midlands 2,189 110 209 
			 East 2,284 210 417 
			 London 3,128 249 517 
			 South East 3,403 332 657 
			 South West 2,115 202 400

Mortgages

John Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average mortgage taken out by first time buyers was in each year since 1997.

Keith Hill: The average advance (mortgage) taken out by first-time buyers across the whole of the UK during each year since 1997 has been as follows.
	
		
			 Year Average advance (£000) 
		
		
			 1997 46,600 
			 1998 50,900 
			 1999 57,400 
			 2000 60,500 
			 2001 67,000 
			 2002 80,300 
			 2003 82,600 
		
	
	Note:
	The term "first-time buyer" refers to buyers who were not homeowners immediately prior to this purchase.
	Source:
	Survey of Mortgage Lenders.
	Figures are shown to the nearest 100.

Post Offices

John Battle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the Urban Deprived Fund will be extended to include post offices in the 20 per cent. most deprived wards.

Phil Hope: The Deprived Urban Post Office Fund (DUPOF) was created as a one-off programme to target the most deprived areas with a fixed amount of funding (£15 million) which will be fully allocated by the end of October.
	There are no plans to extend the scheme.

Affordable Housing

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what impact the additional funding granted to his Department in the 2004 Spending Review will have on the provision of affordable housing (a) in the Bridgwater parliamentary constituency and (b) in the South West; and what assessment he has made of the likely impact on the greenbelt and green spaces.

Keith Hill: The funding provided in the Spending Review will, along with efficiency improvements, produce 75,000 social rented homes and 40,000 homes for essential public sector workers and low cost homeownership over the three years to 2007–08. Decisions have not yet been taken on how Regional Housing Pot funding for 2006–07 and 2007–08 (including the additional funding for affordable housing) is split between regions. This needs to reflect the different pattern of needs across regions and the Government's national housing priorities, including development of the growth areas, and targets. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is aiming to complete this work, which raises some complex issues, by the end of the year.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will announce decisions on allocation of funding within regions next summer in the light of recommendations from Regional Housing Boards, which are due in May next year.

Affordable Housing

Andrew Love: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research his Department has carried out to assess the impact of expanding shared ownership schemes on the production of affordable rental housing for key workers and low-income groups.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published the results of an Evaluation of the Housing Corporation funded Low Cost Home Ownership Programme in 2002. The research found that shared ownership proved good value for money for both the public purse and for the consumer.
	Shared ownership provides a means of helping key workers, existing social tenants and those on housing waiting lists into home ownership while at the same time helping to reduce pressure on housing waiting lists and freeing up existing social rented accommodation for those in priority housing need. The balance between social rented and shared ownership accommodation is dependent on the Government's national housing priorities together with regional and local housing strategies and investment priorities.
	The funding provided in the Spending Review 2004 will, along with efficiency improvements, produce 75,000 social rented homes and 40,000 homes for essential public sector workers and low cost home ownership over the three years to 2007–08.

Affordable Housing

Andrew Love: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment his Department has made of the credit needs of low and moderate income borrowers in relation to accessing affordable privately-rented accommodation.

Keith Hill: None.

Audit Commission

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many full-time equivalent staff of the Audit Commission were working (a) in the Inspection Directorate, (b) in the Housing Inspectorate, (c) on the Comprehensive Performance Assessment, (d) on local authority audits and (e) in administration and management in each financial year since 2000–01.

Nick Raynsford: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission. I will ask the chief executive to write to the hon. Member and ensure that copies of the letter are made available in the Library of the House.

Building Regulations

Tom Cox: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department is taking to ensure conformity of requirements for fire safety under the Building Regulations 2000 and crime prevention measures introduced into the Building Act 1984 by the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Bill.

Phil Hope: It is anticipated that the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Bill will receive Royal Assent during September. It will provide an opportunity for Building Regulations to make a fuller contribution to government policies on sustainability and crime prevention. The regulations and guidance needed to implement the powers given by the Bill have not yet been drafted. When doing so, officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will identify the issues that are amenable to control through the Building Regulations and seek the advice of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee and key stakeholders. The proposals will be subject to Regulatory Impact Assessment and public consultation in the usual way.

Building Regulations

Tom Cox: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether fire safety requirements for occupants' means of escape and emergency access for the fire and rescue service in the current Building Regulations will take precedence over requirements for crime prevention measures due to be introduced into the Building Act 1984 and the Building Regulations by the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Bill.

Phil Hope: Security and means of escape and emergency access are important to life safety. However, the practical requirements can conflict if not considered holistically. When new Building Regulations and guidance are drafted for Security, officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will take advice from the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, key stakeholders and other experts, to ensure a sensible and safe balance is achieved. The proposals will be subject to Regulatory Impact Assessment and public consultation in the usual way.

Building Regulations

Sue Doughty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what studies he has undertaken regarding the energy losses occurring in public and private heated swimming pool shells in advance of his forthcoming consultation document on improving the building regulations concerning the conservation of fuel and power.

Phil Hope: Proposals for amending the Building Regulations energy provisions next summer were published on 21 July 2004. The consultation document indicates that whilst initial studies have shown significant benefits could accrue from defining standards for pools, more investigations are needed to establish the costs and benefits on a national scale, and whether regulating would be cost-effective and proportionate. It will be impossible to complete the investigations in time to influence this amendment but it will be taken into account next time.

Departmental Accounts

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when his Department's resource accounts for 2004–05 will be published; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The accounts preparation is progressing according to timetable and publication will be before the statutory deadline of 31 January 2005.

Departmental Travel

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost of (a) air travel by and (b) overnight accommodation for his Department's officials on departmental business was in 2003–04.

Phil Hope: In 2003–04 the cost of (a) air travel was £356,500 and (b) overnight subsistence and accommodation was £1.437 million.

Derelict Homes

John Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate has been made of the number of derelict homes; what proportion of these are council owned; what proportion of these are in (a) urban areas and (b) in the south east region; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Designated Accommodation

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many rooms are set aside for (a) the use of smokers, (b) worship, broken down by religion and (c) nursing mothers and pregnant women in each building and set of offices for which his Department is responsible.

Phil Hope: The data requested is set out in the following table for the buildings occupied by officials of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. As indicated, a number of the rooms are shared with other Government Departments (OGDs).
	
		
			 Name Number of rooms for smoking Number of rooms for Worship Number of rooms for Nursing mothers and pregnant women 
		
		
			 26 Whitehall—London 1—Shared with OGD 1—Shared with OGD 1—Shared with OGD 
			 Ashdown House—London 1—Shared with OGDs 1—Shared with OGDs 1—Shared with OGDs 
			 Eland House—London 1 1 1 
			 Portland House—London 0 1—Meeting room 1—First aid room. 
			 Exchange Tower—London 2—Shared with OGD 0—(under discussion with OGD) 1—First aid room—Shared with OGD 
			 Ashdown House—Hastings 3—Shared with OGDs 1—"Drop in" room available—shared with OGDs 2–1 "Drop in" room and 1 Medical room can be used—shared with OGDs 
			 Hempstead House—Hemel Hempstead 1—Shared with OGD 1—Room available on request 0 
			 Fire Experimental Unit—Moreton-in-Marsh 0 0 0 
			 Fire Service College—Moreton-in-Marsh 0 1—Muslim Prayer Room 1—multi-denominational chapel 1 
			 Fire Statistics and Research Division—BRE Garston 0 1—Room available on request 1—Room available on request 
			 Housing Care and Support Division—Glossop 0 1—Quiet room available on request 1—Quiet room available on request 
			 Emergency Fire Service—Marchington 1—External Smoking Shelter 0 1—First aid room. 
			 Temple Quay House—Bristol 1 0 0 
			 QEII Conference Centre—London 1 1—private room available on staff request 1—private room available on staff request 
			 Government Offices 8 2—dedicated (multi-faith) 3—Meeting rooms (can be used for prayer) 7—First aid rooms in 7 locations 
		
	
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to providing an environment in which staff are able to work in safety and with religious tolerance.
	Although the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has overall responsibility for the buildings occupied by Government Offices, they carry out functions on behalf of 10 Departments.

East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of the East of England was classed as urban area (a) 30 years ago, (b) 10 years ago, (c) five years ago and (d) at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Keith Hill: The following information is available for land area designated for urban settlements with an associated population of 1,000 or more in the East of England.
	
		
			 Year Percentage 
		
		
			 1981 6.0 
			 1991 6.5 
			 2001 7.0 
		
	
	These figures relate to built-up areas, irrespective of administrative boundaries.

Empty Properties

Jim Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many empty properties there were in each tenure sector in each authority in Tyne and Wear, according to the latest returns available.

Keith Hill: The latest available information on empty properties in Tyne and Wear is tabled below. This data has been provided from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Housing Investment Programme returns.
	
		Number of vacant dwellings in Tyne and Wear (Met County) at 1 April 2004
		
			  Local authority Registered social landlord Other public sector Other private sector Total dwellings 
		
		
			 Gateshead 525 94 7 2,936 3,562 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 1,413 350 385 3,020 5,168 
			 North Tyneside 404 196 6 1,745 2,351 
			 South Tyneside 449 48 0 922 1,419 
			 Sunderland 0 1,401 0 1,185 2,586 
			 Tyne and Wear 2,791 2,089 398 9,808 15,086 
		
	
	Source:
	ODPM's Housing Investment Programme (HIP) returns.

EU Groups/Committees

John Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the working groups and committees at European Union level upon which his Department sits; and if he will list the current agenda of each.

Phil Hope: The working groups and committees at European Union level upon which the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister sits together with their current agendas are listed in the following table.
	
		
			 Name of working group Current agenda 
		
		
			 European Working Group on Land-Use Planning in the context of Article 12 of the Seveso II Directive 1 To provide guidance on the implementation of Article 12 of the Seveso II Directive addressing the issue of land-use planning in the vicinity of establishments handling dangerous substances. 
			 National EIA and SEA experts Committee To provide updates and exchange examples of good practice in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA). 
			 Raw Materials Supply Group To discuss a wide range of issues concerning the extractive industries with European industry trade associations. The Group examines improvements to industry environmental performance, such as restoration and aftercare, and other initiatives which may impinge in this sector and its competitiveness. 
			 Working Group of the Environment Council on the proposed EU Directive on management of waste from the extractive industries To debate and negotiate proposals for new European environmental legislation, and to forward dossiers to the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper). 
			 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive Committee To assist the Commission in the implementation of the directive. 
			 Standing Committee on Construction (SCC) To examine any questions posed by the implementation and the practical application of the Construction Products Directive (CPD). 
			 Eurocodes National Correspondents Group To assist in the implementation of the structural eurocodes. 
			 The Committee on the Development and Conversion of Regions (CDCR) To implement Structural Funds Regulations, as required under Article 48 of EU Regulation 1260/1999. It considers issues such as the simplification of funding rules, and other policy issues affecting funding programmes. 
			 The Structural Actions Working Group To address the reform of the Structural Funds for the next round of funding (post 2006), in the light of the "Report on the Economic and Social Cohesion of the EU". The committee will be negotiating the terms of the draft Structural Funds Regulations from September, which are likely to be finalised in the second half of 2005. 
			 Urban Environment Expert Group The current agenda is the Thematic Strategy on the Urban Environment, which is part of the 6th Environmental Action Plan.

Fire and Rescue Service

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the operational efficiency of regional boundaries in relation to the re-organisation of local fire and rescue services.

Nick Raynsford: The policy statement accompanying the draft Regional Assemblies Bill published in July 2004 confirmed that where voters choose to have an Elected Regional Assembly there will be a Regional Fire and Rescue Service. A referendum will take place in the North East on 4 November. Other than in regions where referendums are held, the Government have no plans to re-organise local fire and rescue services, which continue to be the responsibility of local Fire and Rescue Authorities.
	All local Fire and Rescue Authorities are, however, expected to work together through Regional Management Boards to deliver the functions which are most efficiently and effectively performed at a regional level. These range from secure Regional Control Centres responding to the new dimension of environmental disaster and terrorist threat to purchasing consortia to secure better value for money for the taxpayer.
	No new assessment has been conducted of the Government Office regional boundaries, but they are the basis on which a wide range of government activities are organised, including contingency planning to deal with civil emergencies.

Fire and Rescue Service

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the basis was for the decision that a single regional fire control room should be created to cover the South West region; what assessment he has made of the operational advantages of such a reorganisation; and what assessment he has made of the impact on the number of deaths as a result of fire.

Nick Raynsford: The Government accept the conclusions of the Mott MacDonald report on the "Future of Fire and Rescue Service Control Rooms in England and Wales", published in December 2003. The report concluded that the optimum solution to secure efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of fire and rescue service control rooms would be nine control rooms in England, matched to the areas of the Government Offices for the Regions. Copies of the report are in the Library of the House.
	The Government's conclusions about the benefits of a regional approach are set out in the White Paper "Our Fire and Rescue Service" (Cm 5808), and are informed by on a number of reviews of the service, culminating in the report of the Independent Review of the Fire Service published in December 2002. These reports are listed in the White Paper.

Fire and Rescue Service

Michael Clapham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what advice he has sought from (a) the Practitioners Forum and (b) the Business and Community Safety Forum on plans for a national procurement strategy for the Fire and Rescue Service; what details of his reform proposals each forum has seen; and what recommendations they have made to him.

Nick Raynsford: The Practitioners Forum has had a presentation on the National Procurement Strategy. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects to make copies of the strategy available to the Business Community Safety Forum shortly. The Strategy will be launched at the Fire Conference in September; formal consultation will take place shortly after its publication. Both groups will be consulted at that stage as part of the wider consultation. We will consider all comments before the publication of the final draft.

Fire and Rescue Service

Michael Clapham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to remove the constraints imposed on major procurement to the Fire and Rescue Service in November 2003.

Nick Raynsford: Fire Service Circular (11/2004) gave advice to Fire and Rescue Authorities on the arrangements that fire and rescue authorities should adopt before entering into new contracts for major operational equipment. However, the period initially specified may have had the effect of making it impractical to run a tender exercise. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will therefore shortly be issuing guidance setting out revised milestones which will enable authorities to enter into more viable arrangements and create a natural progression to the proposed national arrangements. Where an Authority requires further clarification of whether a proposed contract will conflict with the National Procurement Strategy, they should not hesitate to contact the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, as two authorities have already done.

Fire and Rescue Service

Michael Clapham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what conclusions he has drawn on the effect that a national procurement plan for the Fire and Rescue Service will have on competition in the industries concerned;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the impact that plans to reform guidelines for procurement to the Fire and Rescue Service will have on the supply sector's (a) small and medium-sized enterprises, (b) levels of employment, (c) research and development capability and (d) exports.

Nick Raynsford: Officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are preparing a Regulatory Impact Assessment on the draft National Procurement Strategy. This Assessment, which will be issued shortly as part of the consultation document on the draft National Procurement Strategy, will include a competition assessment which will look at the impact for UK customers. It will analyse the impact of the proposed regulation in the relevant markets and on importers into the UK. We will carefully consider any comments arising from this consultation exercise. Officials have recently held very constructive meetings with representatives of the Federation of British Fire Organisations (FOBFO) and the Fire Fighting Vehicles Manufacturers Association (FFVMA). Lead officials will also be participating in the procurement workshop lead by FOBFO at the Fire Conference in September.

Home Buyers

John Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of home buyers were first-time buyers in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The percentage of house purchases made by first time buyers in the United Kingdomin each year since 1997 is estimated to have been as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage of house purchases made by first time buyers 
		
		
			 1997 45 
			 1998 48 
			 1999 47 
			 2000 44 
			 2001 43 
			 2002 38 
			 2003 29 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The CML figures are based on mortgage completions supplied through the Survey of Mortgage Lenders.
	2. The figures exclude cash purchases and also exclude mortgage purchases where the type of buyer was not stated.
	3. In the context of the Survey of Mortgage Lenders, the term "first-time buyer" refers to those buyers who were not homeowners immediately prior to this purchase. But they might have been homeowners at an earlier stage in their lives. For example someone who, after a period of home ownership, sold up, moved into rented accommodation and is now returning to home ownership—as a "first-time buyer".
	Source:
	Council of Mortgage Lenders

Homelessness

Sally Keeble: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research his Department is conducting into homeless families.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister currently has four externally commissioned research projects on different aspects of homelessness, which include consideration of homeless families.
	1. A nationally representative survey of homeless families will collect data on the characteristics of homeless families and on the reasons for their homelessness. It will also assess the impact of homelessness and living in different types of temporary accommodation on the health and education of children, and collect information on the additional costs faced by families as a result of their homelessness. Findings from the survey will help to inform future policy on homelessness and the use of temporary accommodation. Planning for this major survey has been informed by a successful feasibility study, which reported this summer. This study will complement quarterly statistical data collected on households accepted as statutory homeless by local authorities.
	2. Research about the causes of homelessness among black and minority ethnic communities. People from BME groups are disproportionately represented in statutory homelessness statistics. A development guide to assist local authorities and other agencies to address the needs of homeless black and minority ethnic households is expected to be published by the end of this year.
	3. A study to evaluate the effectiveness of a range of homelessness prevention initiatives, including family mediation services, help for victims of domestic violence to remain safely in their own homes, and homelessness advice services. This research has recently been commissioned, and will produce good practice guidance for local authorities and service providers, to be published early in 2005.
	4. A survey of households receiving Supporting People legacy funded services. This survey was commissioned to measure satisfaction with housing related support services provided by the Supporting People programme. The survey included interviews with 351 families receiving Supporting People funded services for homeless families. The survey reported on their support needs, the help and services that they receive, and on the problems they had experienced. It is due to be published in the autumn of 2004.

House Building

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance his Department has issued with respect to levels of new-house building (a) within the Bridgwater parliamentary constituency and (b) in the south west region; and if he will list for both areas the sites targeted for development.

Keith Hill: The First Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has not issued any guidance in respect of levels of new-house building (a) within the Bridgwater parliamentary constituency.
	Regional Planning Guidance for the South West (RPG10), section 7: Housing gives guidance on new-house building in (b) the south west region. General guidance on appropriate levels of house building are also set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold lists of development sites, such information is held by the local authorities.

House Building

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what targets his Department has set with respect to levels of new-house building (a) within the Bridgwater parliamentary constituency and (b) in the South West region; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The First Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has not set any targets for levels of new-house building (a) within the Bridgwater parliamentary constituency.
	The levels of housing development for (b) the South West region are set out in Regional Planning Guidance for the South West (RPG10). Policy HOI says the levels of net additional housing for which provision should be made in the South West region over the period 1996–2016 should be based on the average annual rate of 20,200 dwellings per annum.

Key Worker Accommodation

John Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of public sector employees are in accommodation designated for key workers; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not collect information about the proportion of public sector employees that are in accommodation designated for key workers. Information is, however, collected about the public sector employees given assistance with affordable housing through the following schemes:
	under the Starter Home Initiative (SHI), 9,000 key workers were helped from the original £250 million budget. In addition, an extra £50 million was found to help a further 1,200 key workers in the SHI pipeline; and
	around 3,800 key worker homes are being provided through the Housing Corporation's Challenge Fund; and
	Key Worker Living is expected to provide up to 16,000 homes over the next three years.
	In addition, English Partnership's London Wide Initiative will provide some 2,000 key worker homes over the next two to three years through a pilot scheme with private sector developers.

Local Authority Housing

Tony Clarke: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been spent by Northampton borough council in each year since 1997 on (a) refurbishment, (b) redecoration and (c) renewal of its directly-owned housing stock; and what the average spending per property was each year, excluding the amount spent on central Government schemes, including the New Deal.

Keith Hill: Work carried out on council housing stock is generally categorised as Capital and Revenue. The work carried out under the Capital heading includes installation, replacement or major repairs and could be categorised as refurbishment. Work under Revenue would consist of minor and routine repairs, including redecoration. Figures for Capital and Revenue spend since 1997 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Capital (£ million) Revenue (£ million) Total (£ million) Average number of properties Average spend (£) 
		
		
			 1997–98 2,557,000 9,241,851 11,798,851 15,272 773 
			 1998–99 4,027,000 8,812,889 12,839,889 14,965 858 
			 1999–2000 3,444,000 9,931,275 13,375,275 14,779 905 
			 2000–01 6,519,000 9,241,717 15,760,717 14,439 1,092 
			 2001–02 7,593,000 8,480,604 16,073,604 13,999 1,148 
			 2002–03 7,956,000 9,752,773 17,708,773 13,568 1,305 
			 2003–04 8,931,000 9,354,808 18,285,808 13,077 1,398 
			 Total 41,027,000 64,815,916 105,842,916 — —

Local Authority Housing

John Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of council-owned homes are directly run by the council.

Keith Hill: The stock of local authority housing in England is currently about 2.3 million. Of this stock, about 575,000 dwellings are currently managed by Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMOs) and about 4,500 dwellings are managed as part of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) schemes. Therefore about three quarters of the stock is directly run by local authorities.

Local Government

Bill O'Brien: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what changes have been made to the 1988 Local Authority Publicity provisions, with particular reference to paragraph 43 on political publicity prior to an election; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: The Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity, (Department of Environment Circular 20/88) was amended in April 2001 to take account of the new council constitutions, particularly the possibility of individual members holding executive positions, and of mayoral referendums and petitions.
	The amended Code provides for restrictions on publicity in circumstances where there is a by-election or election affecting the local authority's area, a mayoral referendum or a mayoral petition. The 2001 amendment explicitly enables local authorities to respond to events or enquiries during the period preceding an election or referendum with answers that are factual and not party political.

Local Government

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the Audit Commission's latest ratings are for councils in (a) Essex and (b) the Eastern area.

Nick Raynsford: The information is as follows:
	(a) The Audit Commission announced the results of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) for district councils in the county of Essex in June this year. The outcomes of the assessments for Maldon and Rochford district councils have not yet been published. The results are listed in the following table along with the results for Essex county council and single tier councils in Essex.
	
		
			 Council Rating 
		
		
			 Essex County Council(78) Good 
			 Basildon DC Fair 
			 Braintree DC Good 
			 Brentwood BC Good 
			 Castle Point DC Poor 
			 Chelmsford BC Good 
			 Colchester BC Excellent 
			 Epping Forest DC Good 
			 Harlow DC Poor 
			 Southend on Sea BC(78) Fair 
			 Tendring DC Good 
			 Thurrock(78) Weak 
			 Uttlesford DC Fair 
		
	
	(78) Single tier and county councils.
	(b) The table below shows the CPA results for councils in the counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Norfolk. District councils in the County of Suffolk have yet to be assessed. The exception is Ipswich, in Suffolk, which was a Pathfinder council for the CPA methodology and was rated as a 'good' council. CPA categories for Single Tier and County Councils were last announced in December 2003 and their results will be updated again in December 2004. All district councils will have been assessed by December 2004.
	
		
			  Council CPA Rating Date Assessment Published 
		
		
			 Bedfordshire County(79) Poor 18 December 2003 
			 Bedford BC Good 22 July 2004 
			 Luton BC(79) Good 18 December 2003 
			 Mid Bedfordshire DC Fair 22 July 2004 
			 South Bedfordshire DC Good 22 July 2004 
			 Cambridgeshire County(79) Good 18 December 2003 
			 Cambridge CC (Pathfinder) Excellent 22 January 2004 
			 East Cambridgeshire DC Good 22 July 2004 
			 Fenland DC Fair 22 July 2004 
			 Huntingdonshire DC Excellent 22 July 2004 
			 Peterborough CC(79) Fair 18 December 2003 
			 South Cambridgeshire DC Fair 22 July 2004 
			 Hertfordshire County(79) Excellent 18 December 2 003 
			 Broxbourne BC Good 6 May 2004 
			 Dacorum BC Good 6 May 2004 
			 East Hertfordshire DC Good 6 May 2004 
			 Hertsmere BC Fair 6 May 2004 
			 North Hertfordshire DC Fair 6 May 2004 
			 St Albans CC Fair 6 May 2004 
			 Stevenage BC Good 6 May 2004 
			 Three Rivers DC Good 6 May 2004 
			 Watford BC Weak 6 May 2004 
			 Welwyn Hatfield DC Fair 6 May 2004 
			 Norfolk County(79) Good 18 December 2003 
			 Breckland DC Good 13 November 2003 
			 Broadland DC Fair 13 November 2003 
			 Great Yarmouth BC Good 13 November 2003 
			 King's Lynn and West Norfolk BC Good 13 November 2003 
			 North Norfolk DC Fair 13 November 2003 
			 Norwich CC Fair 13 November 2003 
			 South Norfolk DC Good 13 November 2003 
			 Suffolk County(79) Good 18 December 2003 
			 Ipswich BC Good 22 January 2004 
		
	
	(79) Single tier and county councils.

Local Government

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many councils in England were assessed as (a) excellent, (b) good, (c) fair and (d) weak in the last available assessment.

Nick Raynsford: Tables showing the latest results for all single tier and county councils and for all the district councils that have been assessed so far (189 out of 238 councils altogether) have been made available in the Library of the House. Since the Comprehensive Performance Assessment categories for all single tier and county councils were last announced (December 2003), a number of councils have had a corporate re-assessment in 2004, seven of which have now moved up a category. These councils are Coventry, Durham, North Lincolnshire, Southwark, St Helens, Wakefield and Walsall.

Local Government

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance his Department has issued relating to local authority websites; whether this includes guidance on external links to councillors' party political websites; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has issued no guidance specifically concerned with local authority websites.
	The Department for Environment, Transport and Regions Circular 06/2001 "Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity", issued under section 4 of the Local Government Act 1986, sets out certain limits on the nature of material to which a local authority may devote expenditure. It recommends that local authorities should not solely rely on websites as a means of disseminating information, and it sets out that local authority publications, including those published on local authority websites, should treat issues in an objective and informative way. The code does not stipulate which sites may or may not be linked to by a local authority website.

Local Government

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will apply the 2001 Census data for the next round of calculating the local government finance settlement;
	(2)  whether it is his policy to use the most up-to-date data available for calculating grant distribution to local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: On 21 July 2004, I announced to the House that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not intend to use 2001 Census data for the 2005–06 Local Government Finance Settlement, 21 July 2004, Official Report, column 30WS.
	This announcement followed work carried out by officials from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and local government experts during the last year to remodel Formula Spending Shares (FSSs) using the 2001 Census data. Incorporating the new Census data in the funding formula is not a simple task. It is technically incorrect to update the Census data in the police formula; and in other areas the changes needed to incorporate the 2001 Census data would break the current formula freeze, and could cause large changes to the distribution of FSSs. I should also add that, for the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services and the Highways Maintenance formulae, we still do not have all the 2001 Census data we need.
	In the Government's December 2001 White Paper 'Strong Local Leadership—Quality Public Services' (CM5237), it was announced that there would be a freeze on formula changes for 2004–05 and 2005–06 in order to ensure a period of stability for councils. In deciding not to use 2001 Census data in the 2005–06 FSS calculations, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister balanced this aim of providing stability in local authority funding against our desire to use the most up-to-date data in the funding formulae calculations.

Local Government

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost was of the Boundary Committee Review of local government in (a) the North East, (b) the North West and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber.

Nick Raynsford: The costs of the local government reviews undertaken by the Boundary Committee were:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 North East Region 1,272,168 
			 North West Region 1,973,416 
			 Yorkshire and Humber Region 662,983

Non-domestic Rates

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 1 March 2004, Official Report, column 753W, on the non-domestic rate pool, whether (a) the police and (b) other agencies in Gloucestershire were allocated funding from non-domestic rates in 2003–04.

Nick Raynsford: Distributions from the non-domestic rate pool are currently based on population and the services which a local authority is responsible for. The national amount per head for 2003–04 was £317.1934786, and the relevant population of Gloucestershire for the 2003–04 Local Government Finance Settlement was 565,000. The resulting total of £179,214,316 from the non-domestic rate pool for the Gloucestershire area was allocated between the Gloucestershire billing and precepting authorities as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Gloucestershire County Council 151,436,097 
			 Gloucestershire Police Authority 8,064,644 
			 Cheltenham Borough Council 3,839,576 
			 Cotswold District Council 2,804,945 
			 Forest of Dean District Council 2,792,873 
			 Gloucester City Council 3,836,122 
			 Stroud District Council 3,770,422 
			 Tewkesbury Borough Council 2,669,637 
		
	
	The Fire Authorities in shire areas were not precepting authorities in 2003–04 and so did not receive a share of the non-domestic rate pool in that year. No other agencies in Gloucestershire received a share of the £179,214,316 for the Gloucestershire area.

One North East

Jim Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the value of assets transferred from One North East to the partnership with UK Land Estates was; and what the (a) cost and (b) source of the advice obtained by One North East before the sale was.

Keith Hill: The assets transferred (as disclosed in the Agency's 2003–04 accounts as a post balance sheet event) were valued at £122 million.
	The cost of advice sought was £2.2 million.
	The main costs can be broken down as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 1. Legal advice 970 
			 2. Property Consultant costs 544 
			 3. Surveying costs 515 
			 4. Accounting, tax and other technical advice 160 
		
	
	Specialist advice was received from Eversheds (Legal), King Sturge (Property Specialists), PriceWaterhouseCoopers (Tax) and PartnershipsUK (more General advice).

Parliamentary Questions

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will reply to the Question tabled by the hon. Member for Meriden on 21 June, reference 180362, on refurbishment of buildings.

Phil Hope: A reply was given to the hon. Member on 13 August 2004.

PFI/PPP Contracts

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many contracts his Office had with (a) Barclays, (b) the Royal Bank of Scotland, (c) UBS Warburg, (d) the Bank of Scotland, (e) PriceWaterhouseCoopers, (f) Deloitte and Touche, (g) KPMG and (h) Ernst & Young for advice on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts in each financial year since 2001–02; and what fees were paid in each case.

Nick Raynsford: Since 2001–02, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has had two contracts, one with Ernst & Young and the other with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, both in 2003–04. Ernst & Young was paid £62,734 excluding VAT to review the Fire and Rescue Service private finance initiative programme.
	PriceWaterhouseCoopers carried out work on the Housing Private Finance Initiative Procurement Pack. The Housing Procurement Pack was jointly procured with the 4Ps, (Public Private Partnerships Programme) an agency of the Local Government Association set up to provide advice to local authorities on PPP/PFIs. The total fee paid was £57,486 excluding VAT. 50 per cent. of the fees paid by the Office will be recovered from the 4Ps.

Planning

Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will require a start on works to activate a time-limited planning approval to represent at least a quarter of the development; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: Under section 56 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, a variety of works is held to constitute the start of development. A material change of use of land may also indicate that development has started, provided the change is related to the development. There are no plans to amend the law in the manner suggested.

Planning

Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the minimum requirement of works commenced is for a time-limited planning approval to be activated; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The activities that may indicate that a planning permission has begun to be implemented include: any work of construction; demolition of a building on the site; the digging of a trench to contain foundations; the laying of any underground main or pipe to the foundations; laying out an access road; and any material change in the use of the land. The full list is in section 56 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Planning

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the revised Planning Policy Guidance, PPG22, on renewable energy will be published; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: Planning policy statement 22 (PPS22) on renewable energy was published on 9 August 2004. Copies of the document are available in the Libraries of the House and have been sent out to all planning authorities in England.

Planning

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  when the Government will publish good practice guidance for local authorities and developers on the planning obligations;
	(2)  when the Government plan to issue a revised circular on planning obligations.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister aims to publish a Good Practice Guide on planning obligations in early 2005, alongside a new circular on planning obligations. A draft of the new circular is to be issued for consultation in the autumn.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is also continuing work on developing proposals for an optional planning charge, so that decisions on implementation can be made in the context of the Chancellor's decision on a Planning Gain Supplement at the end of 2005.

Planning

Jim Knight: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many local authorities have conducted needs assessments on sport, recreation and open space facilities as required by Planning Policy Guidance Note 17.

Keith Hill: PPG17 was published in July 2002. An assessment of its implementation and effectiveness will be undertaken as part of the normal policy review process within five years of publication.
	The collection of regular statistics on the implementation of specific national planning policies could be attained only at disproportionate cost. However, Government offices do scrutinise statutory development plans for compliance with national policies before these plans are adopted.
	Under the new planning system local development frameworks must be supported by an evidence base comprising data such as that required by PPG17. Where this evidence falls short of such a requirement, inspectors could rule at public examination that the plan did not meet the test of soundness. Subsequently authorities' annual monitoring reports which will report upon policy performance, will also provide a mechanism by which Government offices can assess whether PPG 17 requirements continue to be met.

Postal Voting

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how he assessed the (a) support for and (b) problems of all postal voting in (i) the North East, (ii) the North West and (iii) Yorkshire and the Humber.

Nick Raynsford: The Government listened to the concerns raised in the Commons debates on 19 and 21 July about whether we should go ahead with referendums in the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber. In light of these, the Government decided to proceed with the referendum in the North East, subject to the Electoral Commission's report. The Government also decided to reschedule referendums in the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber once we had considered the report prepared by the Electoral Commission. This report was published on 27 August.

Postal Voting

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to prevent the postal vote problems in the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber from appearing in the North East.

Nick Raynsford: The rules for the North East referendum were approved by Parliament in July. The administration of the North East referendum is for the Chief Counting Officer, Ged Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of Sunderland city council and for the local counting officers.
	The Electoral Commission published their report into the June electoral pilots on 27 August and has said:
	"The Commission has therefore considered carefully, in the light of our conclusions in relation to postal voting more generally, whether it is appropriate for the referendum in the North East to continue as planned . . . ..our conclusion is that the referendum should proceed as an all-postal ballot without major changes to the process."
	In reaching this conclusion the Electoral Commission highlighted the desirability of avoiding late changes in a process already approved by Parliament, and a number of additional factors specific to the North East referendum, as follows:
	The form of all postal-voting defined in law for the regional referendum is a significant improvement over that piloted in June, in part as a result of changes advocated by the Commission earlier in the year. For example there is no requirement for a witness to sign the security statement and more assistance and delivery points are provided for and discretion given to counting officers to provide additional points as they see fit.
	There is presently no evidence on which to conclude that an all-postal referendum in the North East would be unsafe in terms of fraud or malpractice. To the Commission's knowledge, no allegations of electoral fraud made in the North East in relation to the June all-postal pilot scheme have led to formal prosecutions.
	Voters and election professionals in the North East have substantial previous experience of all-postal ballots.
	The public is more positive about all-postal voting, and its future use, in the North East than in any other pilot region; and
	The capacity of commercial printers and the Royal Mail to manage an all-postal ballot of the scale required in the North East (with approximately 1.9 million electors) was evidenced in June and their capacity will be further enhanced by the lack of competing pressures from other all-postal ballots taking place simultaneously. Additionally, planning between printers, local authorities and other key suppliers is already well under way.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is considering the Electoral Commission's report and will make a statement to Parliament about the implications for the regional referendums soon.

Private Sector Housing

Andrew Love: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research his Department has carried out into potential policy mechanisms aimed at stimulating growth in the private rented sector.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to securing a larger, better-quality, better-managed private rented sector. The Housing Bill currently before Parliament includes a number of measures, the licensing of private rented properties, designed to help achieve this objective.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's research has recently focused on aspects of the condition and management of properties in the private rented sector which are key to building market confidence.
	Recent research carried out for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has included: powers for private sector housing renewal; the housing health and safety rating system and houses in multiple occupation; tenancy deposit schemes; the economics of the park homes industry; run-down private sector housing; fiscal policy options to promote affordable housing; voluntary accreditation schemes; and harassment and unlawful eviction of private sector tenants and park home residents.
	The English House Condition Survey (EHCS) is also used to monitor overall improvements in the sector.

Private Sector Housing

Andrew Love: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures his Department is taking to stimulate private sector involvement in the delivery of (a) shared equity and (b) privately-rented accommodation.

Keith Hill: The Housing Bill, currently before Parliament, contains a provision that would allow the Housing Corporation to pay grants to bodies other than Registered Social Landlords (RSLs). Such grants would be essentially for the same housing purposes as the Corporation's grants to RSLs. This could include the provision of shared equity schemes such as Homebuy.
	The Government are keen to secure a larger contribution from the private rented sector towards meeting housing need. Measures in the Housing Bill should raise the standards, the professionalism, and the reputation of the sector. Consultations are also under way on ways of encouraging new institutional investment in residential property, including the use of Property Investment Fund.

Public Bodies

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated (a) total budget, (b) departmental funding and (c) cost to his Department of the (i) Property Consultative Group, (ii) Home Buying and Selling Forum, (iii) Central Stakeholder Group, (iv) Building Regulations Advisory Committee and (v) Home Ownership Task Force are for the financial years 2005–06 to 2007–08.

Keith Hill: With regard to the Property Consultative Group, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 28 April 2004, Official Report, column 1139W.
	The Home Buying and Selling Forum and Central Stakeholder Groups are hosted by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, in one of its buildings and the costs falls within its general administration and staff budget: there is no separate budget for these groups. The estimated costs for the financial years 2005–06 to 2007–08 are not expected to change significantly from those quoted for 2004–05, in the answer given on 30 June 2004, Official Report, column 294W.
	The Building Regulations Advisory Committee does not receive Government funding other than costs internal to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of sponsoring it. We are unable to estimate costs for the financial years 2005–06 to 2007–08, but do not expect them to change significantly from the £70,000 quoted for 2003–04 on 28 April 2004, Official Report, column 1140W.
	With regard to the Home Ownership Task Force, the answer is none. The Task Force's work was completed with the publication of its report "A Home of My Own" on 13 November 2003.

Regional Assemblies

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what information was available to his Ministers on 22 July about the likely outcomes of votes for regional assemblies.

Nick Raynsford: Ministers were aware of a number of published surveys and opinion polls. The decision to reschedule the referendums in Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West followed differences of view in the House of Commons about whether the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister should go ahead with those referendums, on the basis proposed involving all postal ballots, by November 4.

Regional Assemblies

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will estimate the resources which have been put into preparing for the postponed votes on regional assemblies.

Nick Raynsford: The referendums for Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West are being rescheduled, so preparation for them has been and still is necessary. Some of the preparations are common to all three regions. The main costs incurred by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister which can be attributed to the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber are as follows:
	The costs for the Boundary Committee's local government reviews in these two regions is included in the answer I am giving to the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin) today (PQ 187254).
	Some costs in relation to the Your Say information campaign. These are detailed in the answer I am giving to the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin) today (PQ 187162).

Regional Assemblies

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what the total cost is of the Your Say information campaign on elected regional assemblies in (a) the North West, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the North East to date;
	(2)  what his revised estimate is of the total cost of the Your Say information campaigns in the light of the postponement of the referendums in the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber;
	(3)  if he will list each item of expenditure undertaken as part of the Your Say information campaign on elected regional assemblies, broken down by the region in which that expenditure was undertaken.

Nick Raynsford: Originally, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister proposed a budget for the Your Say information campaign across all three regions of £5 million.
	Information campaign activity relating to the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber was suspended on 22 July. The Department has sought to secure refunds for expenditure related to these two regions, wherever possible.
	It is estimated that total expenditure until the referendum in November will be approximately £3.2 million.
	Expected expenditure to the end of the campaign can be broken down by region, into its main components, thus:
	
		£000
		
			  North West Yorkshire and the Humber North East Total 
		
		
			 (a) Production and distribution of leaflets 98 72 308 478 
			 (b) Posters 232 193 86 511 
			 (c) Broadcast media 242 211 223 676 
			 (d) Newspapers 137 158 128 423 
			 (e) Events 49 39 68 156 
			 (f) Other 309 278 408 995 
			 Total 1,067 951 1,221 3,239

Regional Bodies (South-West)

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what has been the cost (a) each year and (b) in total since their inception of the regional bodies in the South West that fall under the remit of his Department; what responsibilities these regional bodies hold; what these regional bodies' total budgets are; what assessment he has made of their impact; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for no regional bodies in the South West. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for the Government Office for the South West, which is part of central Government and is not a regional body in its own right.
	My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has designated a regional chamber for the South West, under the terms of the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998. However, the chamber is an independent, voluntary body and is not the responsibility of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister makes a grant to the chamber to help it fulfil its responsibilities.
	Since designation in 1999 the regional chamber has been responsible for scrutinising the work of the South West Regional Development Agency and since 2003 has been the recognised Regional Planning Body for the South West. The chamber has been allocated the following maximum levels of grant:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2001–02 500,000 
			 2002–03 600,000 
			 2003–04 1,613,000 
			 2004–05 2,101,000

Regional Planning

Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what rules govern whether a unitary council's area can be treated as a sub-region for the purpose of regional planning arrangements.

Keith Hill: There is no rule. It is up to each RPB (Regional Planning Body) to decide how best to take sub-regional matters forward and to define the sub-regions in the draft RSS (Regional Spatial Strategies) revision. What might be an effective sub-regional approach in one region may not necessarily suit the circumstances and geography of another.
	The definition of need for a sub-regional approach should be based on an assessment of the functional relationship between settlements, such as journey-to-work patterns, or land uses within the area affected by the same strategic planning issue or issues which may well differ from administrative boundaries. This could include consideration, for example, of how the strategic planning system can assist not only in creating and sustaining the economic competitiveness of a city or a cluster of towns but in spreading the benefits of a prosperous city to the wider region (the concept of a 'city-region').
	The sub-regional definition should be based on a clearly recognisable 'strategic policy deficit' which cannot be adequately addressed by general RSS policies or by LDDs (Local Development Documents) on their own. In some parts of a region, LDDs may be capable of being prepared within the context of the generic policies of a RSS. In some cases this may need to be on a joint LDD basis and the RPB may need to encourage the relevant LPAs (Local Planning Authorities) to produce a joint LDD in order that the RSS can be effectively implemented. However, in many cases there will be sub-regional strategies issues which cannot be tackled through a joint plan or where the LDDs require a more detailed strategic policy context which cannot be provided by generic policies in a RSS. Therefore, it will be common to have sub-regional policies as part of the RSS revision.
	Where the RPB decides that it is appropriate to have RSS policies which are specific to a particular part or parts of the region, section 5(5) of the Act requires a section 4 (4) authority or authorities to be first to make detailed proposals, unless it is agreed that the RPB itself or a district council should do so instead. Providing these section 4(4) authorities agree, there is no reason why an RPB should not continue to take the lead, as it has in the past, in preparing detailed proposals on a partnership basis with these authorities and others.
	Planning Policy Statement 11: Regional Spatial Strategies (PPS11) will be published on 7 September 2004. Until now it was only available as a draft.

Suffolk Fire Authority

David Ruffley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many firefighters were employed by the Suffolk Fire Authority (a) in 2004–05 and (b) in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Raynsford: The information requested is set out as follows:
	
		Number of firefighters employed by Suffolk
		
			 Year(80) Whole-time Retained Total 
		
		
			 2004 244 399 643 
			 2003 250 415 665 
			 2002 253 401 654 
			 2001 248 404 652 
			 2000 249 396 645 
			 1999 256 400 656 
			 1998 252 418 670 
			 1997 256 423 679 
			 1996 258 422 680 
			 1995 267 415 682 
			 1994 264 421 685 
		
	
	(80) Data refer to workforce as at 31 March for each year except 1995, where data refer to 1 January.

Supporting People Programme

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to commission research into the effects on vulnerable people of changes in funding for the Supporting People programme.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister undertakes extensive monitoring and research to assess the success of the Supporting People programme. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will continue to monitor progress to ensure the programme protects vulnerable people in a cost effective and efficient manner.

DEFENCE

Army Recruitment

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks have been recruited into each infantry battalion in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many are planned to be recruited in each of the next five years.

Adam Ingram: The following tables show the number of officers and other ranks that were recruited into infantry battalions since financial year 2000–01. Statistics prior to this period are not available.
	
		Table 1: Officers commissioned into the Infantry since financial year 2000–01 by regiment
		
			  Financial year 
			 Regiment 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Grenadier Guards 9 7 2 7 
			 Coldstream Guards 6 2 6 12 
			 Scots Guards 4 10 3 7 
			 Irish Guards 8 4 3 3 
			 Welsh Guards 2 6 3 3 
			 Royal Scots, 7 3 2 7 
			 Royal Highland Fusiliers 3 6 4 4 
			 King's Own Scottish Borderers 4 4 2 4 
			 Black Watch 7 7 5 6 
			 Highlanders 7 3 8 4 
			 Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders 5 5 7 6 
			 Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 6 6 10 12 
			 Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 12 14 10 8 
			 Royal Anglian Regiment 11 8 9 10 
			 King's Own Border Regiment 4 4 6 6 
			 King's Regiment 2 3 3 4 
			 Prince of Wales's Own Regiment 4 4 4 3 
			 Green Howards 1 2 10 5 
			 Queen's Lancashire Regiment 1 3 4 4 
			 Duke of Wellington's Regiment 6 4 5 2 
			 Devonshire and Dorset Regiment 6 4 6 3 
			 Cheshire Regiment 2 1 9 1 
			 Royal Welsh Fusiliers 6 1 6 5 
			 Royal Regiment of Wales 3 1 4 1 
			 Royal Gloucestershire. Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 1 6 8 4 
			 Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment 6 6 5 5 
			 Staffordshire Regiment 6 3 3 7 
			 Light Infantry 8 10 30 10 
			 Royal Green Jackets 12 11 12 10 
			 Royal Irish Regiment 8 1 4 8 
			 Parachute Regiment 12 16 19 14 
			 Royal Gurkha Rifles 8 10 4 6 
			 Total 188 170 196 148 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Trained soldiers passing out from Infantry training centre Catterick to the Infantry since financial year 2000–01 by regiment
		
			  Financial year 
			 Regiment 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Grenadier Guards 119 108 78 137 
			 Coldstream Guards 87 50 51 119 
			 Scots Guards 91 78 50 83 
			 Irish Guards 72 87 62 99 
			 Welsh Guards 111 64 57 87 
			 Royal Scots 56 59 79 56 
			 Royal Highland Fusiliers 55 52 97 85 
			 King's Own Scottish Borderers 70 66 47 60 
			 Black Watch 78 58 66 88 
			 Highlanders 16 59 53 59 
			 Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders 55 57 85 72 
			 Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 218 214 224 133 
			 Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 95 122 135 198 
			 Royal Anglian Regiment 139 127 141 188 
			 King's Own Border Regiment 83 69 46 55 
			 King's Regiment 85 100 98 74 
			 Prince of Wales's Own Regiment 64 81 76 104 
			 Green Howards 56 62 64 72 
			 Queen's Lancashire Regiment 92 78 117 104 
			 Duke of Wellington's Regiment 94 93 91 71 
			 Devonshire and Dorset Regiment 77 71 52 78 
			 Cheshire Regiment 64 74 56 72 
			 Royal Welch Fusiliers 94 102 87 91 
			 Royal Regiment of Wales 85 104 68 56 
			 Royal Gloucestershire. Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 75 82 54 102 
			 Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment 69 72 88 60 
			 Staffordshire Regiment 80 96 91 120 
			 Light Infantry 136 149 146 170 
			 Royal Green Jackets 12 11 12 10 
			 Royal Irish Regiment 75 83 62 70 
			 Parachute Regiment 379 240 246 190 
			 Total 3,065 2,925 2,845 3,211 
		
	
	The following tables show the latest figures for the number of trained officers and soldiers expected to join infantry over the next five years. At this stage it is not possible to quantify the numbers by individual battalion.
	The figures for financial years 2005–06 to 2008–09 take into account my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's (Mr. Hoon) announcement to the House on 21 July 2004, Official Report, columns 343–70.
	
		Table 3: Officers
		
			  Financial year 
			 Method of entry 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 
		
		
			 Direct entry 165 165 165 165 165 
			 Late entry 31 28 28 28 28 
			 Total 196 193 193 193 193 
		
	
	Note:
	Direct entry relates to those who enter the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst direct from education or civilian life. Late entry refers to those who apply for a commission through the ranks.
	
		Table 4: Soldiers
		
			  Financial year 
			 Category 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 
		
		
			 Foot Guards 368 405 418 430 430 
			 Line 2,004 2,200 2,134 2,036 2,036 
			 Parachute Regiment 230 225 221 234 234 
			 Total 2,582 2,830 2,780 2,700 2,700

Cheshire Regiment

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Cheshire Regiment.

Adam Ingram: As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Hoon) announced on 21 July 2004, Official Report, columns 343–70, the reduction in the number of battalions committed to Northern Ireland, means that the overall requirement for infantry battalions can be reduced by four. This reduction will comprise of one battalion recruited from Scotland and three recruited from England.
	Together with the phasing out of the Infantry Arms Plot, a new infantry structure is required. This will seek to preserve the best elements of the regimental system while adapting to ensure operational success for the future. The new structure will be based on large single-cap badge regiments of two or more battalions. Details of the new organisation will be worked through by the Army and announced by the end of the year.

Cheshire Regiment

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the tours of duty undertaken by the Cheshire Regiment in the last 25 years.

Adam Ingram: The tours of duty and operational tours undertaken by 1st Battalion. The Cheshire Regiment, since 1980. are as follows:
	
		
			  Date Primary Location Operational Tours  Comment 
		
		
			 1980–82 UK (Tidworth) Belize  
			 1982–84 Northern Ireland (Ballykelly)  As resident Northern Ireland Battalion (an accompanied tour) 
			 1984–86 Hong Kong   
			 1986–88 UK (Catterham) Belize  
			 1988–91 UK (Chester) Northern Ireland (Armagh)  
			 1991–94 Germany (Fallingbostel) Yugoslavia  
			 1994–96 UK (Cakington) Northern Ireland (Fermanagh  
			 1996–98 Northern Ireland (Ballykelly)  As resident Northern Ireland Battalion 
			 1998–2000 UK (Chepstow) Northern Ireland Eight week tour 
			 2000–02 Cyprus Falkland Islands Coy only deployed 
			 2002–05 UK (Bulford) Northern Ireland (Dungannon) Iraq Unit returns from Iraq in November 2004

Correspondence

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2004, Official Report, column 1321W, on deaths in service, when he will write to the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull North.

Adam Ingram: I wrote to my hon. Friend on 31 August 2004 and a copy of my letter has been placed in the Library of the House.

Drug Smuggling

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on recent naval operations to combat international drug smuggling.

Adam Ingram: The Royal Navy makes a significant contribution towards UK efforts to combat international drug smuggling. At home, the Royal Navy act in support of HM Customs and Excise under the terms of "Military Aid to the Civil Power". In the Caribbean, the RN deployment (Atlantic Patrol Task (North), primarily promotes UK interests in the region and provides security to UK Overseas Territories. It is also tasked to carry out counter-drugs activities as part of its deployment and provides a tangible presence as one element of the UK's broader counter drugs activities in the region. In addition. Royal Navy units East of Suez may also be involved in efforts to reduce narcotics trafficking.

Efficiency Savings

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral statement of 21 July 2004, Official Report, columns 343–70, if he will list the principal areas where he expects to make the efficiency savings of £2,800 million; how much will be attributable to each area; and over what time scale these savings will be delivered.

Geoff Hoon: The Ministry of Defence is committed to achieving annual efficiency gains in excess of £2.8 billion by 2007–08. The principal areas where it is planned to make efficiency gains are set out in the 2004 Spending Review White Paper (Cm 6237), chapter 13; work is continuing to refine these figures. Further details of the Department's efficiency plans, and bow performance against those plans will be measured, will be included in an Efficiency Technical Note, which will be published on the Department's website by the end of October 2004.

Efficiency Savings

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the Government's departmental efficiency savings are to be implemented in the British Army in the (a) current and (b) next two financial years.

Adam Ingram: An additional £3.7 billion was allocated to Defence over the period of Spending Review 2004. In parallel the Ministry of Defence is committed to achieving annual efficiency gains in excess of £2.8 billion by 2007–08. The principal areas where it is planned to make efficiency gains are set out in the 2004 Spending Review White Paper (Cm 6237), Chapter 13; work is continuing to refine these figures. Further details of the Department's efficiency plans, and how performance against those plans will be measured, will be included in an Efficiency Technical Note, which will be published on the Department's website by the end of October 2004.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether British (a) officials, (b) Ministers and (c) service personnel were issued with copies of International Committee of the Red Cross working papers about detainee conditions and treatment in Iraq delivered to Coalition Forces headquarters in October and November 2003.

Geoff Hoon: The International Committee of the Red Cross produces confidential working papers following visits to detention facilities. The majority of these papers contain information relevant to local Commanders, and concern issues that can be resolved at a local level. However, where working papers have contained more substantive issues, these have been brought to the attention of Ministers.
	A working paper dated 11 October 2003 was issued by the International Committee of the Red Cross to US service personnel in Iraq. This working paper was subsequently passed to UK service personnel and MOD Officials. This working paper was not passed to Ministers.
	We are not aware of an ICRC working paper having been produced in November 2003.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information has been given to the families of the deceased about the (a) progress and (b) conclusion of Royal Military Police investigations into deaths allegedly caused by UK forces in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: Details of the information passed to the families of Iraqis whose deaths were allegedly caused by UK forces are being withheld under Exemption 12 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. Bereaved families are kept informed of progress and results wherever possible, although the prevailing security situation in Iraq has made this difficult to achieve in every case.

Iraq

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel serving in Iraq since 1 January 2003 have been discharged from the forces as a result of injuries sustained from (a) road traffic accidents, (b) armed conflict and (c) other causes; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: As of 31 May 2004 centrally held records show that 16 service personnel who had been deployed on Operation Telic have subsequently been medically discharged from the armed forces as a result of injuries. The main reasons for medical discharges are as follows:
	
		
			  Causes of medical discharge Number of military personnel medically discharged (81) 
		
		
			 Road traffic accidents 6 
			 Battle wound or injury 1 
			 Other causes 9 
			 Total number of injuries 16 
		
	
	(81)Numbers of service personnel deployed on Op Telic and subsequent medical discharges excludes special forces personnel.

Iraq

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has commissioned on the offensive capabilities of enemy insurgents in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has commissioned no external research on the offensive capabilities of enemy insurgents in Iraq. However, MOD continuously evaluates the offensive capabilities being used, working-closely with other relevant Government Departments. This evaluation draws on a range of materials from a variety of sources, and includes work to identify the weaponry and equipment available to insurgent groups as well as their training and military experience.

Kilve Bend (Somerset)

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what future plans his Department has for the use of the range at Kilve Bend in Somerset.

Adam Ingram: We plan to continue to use Kilve Bend as a helicopter gunnery range.

NATO/Russian Relations

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on relations between NATO and Russia, with particular reference to security in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet bloc.

Geoff Hoon: Formal relations between NATO and Russia are conducted through the NATO-Russia Council (NRC). The Council facilitates engagement between the twenty-six member-stales of NATO and Russia on a number of key issues. It provides a forum where concerns can be aired and practical solutions to problems can be identified. There is an increasing broadening of political dialogue in the NRC to cover key security issues including Afghanistan, the Balkans and counter-terrorism. Our aim is for Russia to be a long-term strategic partner of NATO. Wider European security can only benefit as a result
	As many countries of Eastern Europe are now members of NATO, their security—like that of other allies—is part of the normal business of the Alliance. NATO has encouraged Russia to make progress in negotiating with-Georgia and Moldova over her presence in the region; this was reflected in the communiqué following the Istanbul Summit (28–29 June 2004). NATO and Russia are working together on a range of security issues including: counter-proliferation; theatre missile defence; arms control and counter-narcotics. They are also conducting work towards joint operations such as Operation Active Endeavour (NATO's counter-terrorist naval mission in the Mediterranean).

Nimrod MRA4 Aircraft

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to agree the production contract for the remaining Nimrod MRA4 aircraft.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 16 July 2004
	Under the restructured contract with BAE SYSTEMS, formally amended on 23 February this year, design and development and manufacture have been separated as far as possible to ensure that technology is adequately de-risked before making further commitment to production price and schedule. A decision on full production is dependent on design maturity and price negotiation and is planned for next year.

RAF Aldergrove

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Oral Statement of 21 July 2004, Official Report, columns 343–70, what the future operational size of RAF Aldergrove will be; and whether it will include all present forces, with particular reference to aerial surveillance stationed on the base.

Adam Ingram: No decisions have been taken as to the future operational role of RAF Aldergrove which is listed in the Joint Declaration as one of the locations where, in the context of a peaceful society, the regular garrison in Northern Ireland might be based.

RAF Leeming (Nuclear Weapons)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the security of nuclear weapons stored in transit at RAF Leeming.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 4 February 2004. Official Report, column 890W.

RAF Servicemen and Women

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his plans to reduce the number of RAF servicemen and women; and how many (a) military and (b) civilian employees will be affected.

Geoff Hoon: As I announced in a statement to the House of Commons on 23 July 2004, Official Report, columns 344–71, we must transform our armed forces so that they can continue to respond effectively to the global challenges of the 21st century. This means modernising the structure of our forces, embracing new technology and focusing on the means by which our armed forces can work together with other Government agencies to meet the threat of international terrorism and the forces of instability in the modern world.
	A combination of significant advances in capability, both within some existing aircraft fleets and as a result of the introduction to service of new types, such as Typhoon, and changes in investment towards greater deployability. better targeted action and swifter outcomes have enabled us to make a number of changes in the RAFs force structure. These changes, in conjunction with the achievement of planned organisational efficiencies, will lead to a reduced RAF manpower requirement of around 41,000 by 2008, from a current strength of around 48,500.
	In addition to the reductions in service manpower, we envisage reductions of around 10,000 civilian jobs across Defence. These will flow from efficiencies as a consequence of the Department's change programme and other initiatives, as well as changes to the force structure.

Royal Irish Regiment

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Oral Statement of 21 July 2004, Official Report, columns 343–70, what the future battalion strength of the Royal Irish Regiment will be; and whether it will include the retention of the three Home Battalions.

Adam Ingram: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence announced on 21 July 2004, Official Report, columns 343–370, that the number of Regular battalions in the Army would reduce by four to 36 by April 2008. This will allow the resulting manpower to be redistributed across the Army to create more robust unit establishments under the Future Army Structure. To maintain a regional balance the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment has been exempted from consideration.
	The Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service) battalions are fundamental to the armed forces' support of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. No decisions have been taken concerning their future role, as it is premature to come to conclusions about the composition of the long-term garrison.

SA80A2/L85 Components

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what supplies his Department has of replacement components for the (a) SA80A2 and (b) L85; and what plans he has to replenish these supplies.

Adam Ingram: The SA80A2 family consists of the L85A2 Individual Weapon and the L86A2 Light Support Weapon. Stocks of consumables and repairable spare parts, sufficient to meet all operational and training requirements, are currently held in Ministry of Defence depots. Stock levels are regularly reviewed and replenished as necessary.

TREASURY

Civil Service/Public Sector Relocation

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of civil service and public sector jobs presently located in London and the South East that will be relocated to (a) Bridgwater and (b) the South West following the report by Sir Michael Lyons, Well Placed to Deliver? Shaping the Pattern of Government Service, and the 2004 Spending Review.

Paul Boateng: In line, with Sir Michael Lyons' recommendations contained in his report published in March this year and endorsed in the 2004 Spending Review, it will be for departments and public bodies themselves to determine the destination of relocated activities from London and the South East. Departments' decisions will be based on their own business needs and priorities, taking account of the requirement to improve public services, secure greater efficiencies and value for money for the taxpayer as well as of local economic conditions. Departments will also take into account forthcoming locational guidance that will be issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
	In the course of the Lyons and 2004 Spending Reviews, some departments, including the Chancellor's departments and the Department for Work and Pensions, have identified the South West as a possible destination for public sector activity. As you know, the South West has already benefited recently following the significant relocation of the Meteorological Office from the South East to Exeter.

EU

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on progress with the agenda for structural reform of the EU.

Ruth Kelly: The Treasury published its latest progress report on economic reform "Advancing Long-Term Prosperity: Economic Reform in an Enlarged Europe" in February. It reaffirms the Government's commitment to the Lisbon agenda on structural reform, assesses progress to date and concludes that, despite some recent actions, if the ambitious goals of the agenda are to be realised further efforts are needed.

EU

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the EU target of 70 per cent. employment in 2010 is expected to be met.

Ruth Kelly: Employment in the European Union has risen considerably in recent years. Since 1999, EU employment has risen from 154.9 million, or 62.5 per cent. of the working age population to 162 million and 64.3 per cent. in 2003. Though the UK's employment rate already exceeds the EU target (74.5 per cent.), it is clear that significant further reforms are necessary, particularly in the new Member States, to meet the target of 70 per cent. by 2010.

EU

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what strategy is in place to improve productivity levels in the EU.

Ruth Kelly: The Government's approach to economic reform in the EU is based around improving both productivity and employment. To this end the progress report on economic reform, published in February of this year, highlighted a number of priority areas. These included:
	improving the regulatory framework, building on the four Presidency initiative on regulatory reform;
	strengthening the Single Market, with a more pro-active competition policy, further reform of the state aid rules, and by making the Single Market a reality for services as well as goods;
	promoting enterprise and innovation, including through new European Centres of Enterprise—local centres of excellence in enterprise policy;
	taking a leading role in world trade negotiations, by improving access-to all of Europe's markets and further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy; and
	strengthening the transatlantic economic relationship, by tackling the barriers to trade and investment between the ED and the US.

EU

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual growth rate of the EU was (a) in 2002–03 and (b) in 2003–04.

Ruth Kelly: As defined by the UK financial year (i.e., from the second quarter in the preceding year to the first quarter in the following year), annual real GDP growth in the EU25 was 1.7 per cent. for the period 2003–04 and 1 per cent. for the period 2002–03. On the same basis, EU 15 real GDP grew by 1.6 per cent. in 2003–04 and by 0.9 per cent. in 2002–03.

Absenteeism

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the cost to public funds of absenteeism within the public sector; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: The Treasury does not collect data on absence in the public sector but there are other published sources. Figures for the civil service, including estimates of cost, are published annually by the Cabinet Office in "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service". The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development published a survey in July titled "Employee absence 2004—A survey of management policy and practice" which included estimates of average sickness absence across the public sector.

Barnett Formula

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, pursuant to his reply of 20 July 2004, Official Report, column 187W, what the (a) increase in the public expenditure programmes used as the comparator spend for the purposes of the Barnett formula for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland between 2000–01 and 2003–04, (b) actual increases in the Barnett formula allocations to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland between 2000–01 and 2003–04 and (c) increase in public spending between 2000–01 and 2003–04 in the North East for programmes used as comparator programmes for Barnett formula assessments were.

John Healey: The operation of the Barnett formula is set out in the Statement of Funding Policy. The formula is applied to increases in the spending of the comparable Government Departments. The increases in spending of Government Departments were announced in the 2000, 2002 and 2004 Spending Review White Papers. The increases in spending for the devolved Administrations were also announced in these White Papers. Information on identifiable public spending in the North East is published in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2004 (Cm 6201). The Barnett formula is not applied to English regional spending.

British Film Production

Tim Boswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of tax relief on the production of British films was in each of the last five years broken down by scheme.

Dawn Primarolo: The UK has a number of film tax reliefs that are designed to assist the production of British qualifying films, as certified by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The estimated tax cost of Section 48 film tax relief is £440 million for the period 1997–98 to 2001–02 and the estimated costs for 2002–03 and 2003–04 are £300 million and £140 million respectively. The tax cost of the other film tax reliefs is estimated to be an additional £70 million a year.

Child Poverty

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what resources the Government have provided to reduce child poverty in (a) St. Helens and (b) the UK, broken down by region, since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: St. Helens, like the rest of the UK, has benefited from a range of measures since 1997 to reduce unemployment and make work pay, and to raise the incomes of the poorest families with children. Since 1997, the Government have committed substantial resources to tackle child poverty, both through universal and targeted public services and through financial support. For example, by 2004–05, total spending on financial support for children through tax credits, child benefit and other benefits will have increased by £10.4 billion in real terms from its 1997 level, a rise of 72 per cent. In addition, the Government have increased spending on the Sure Start Unit, and has invested over £2.9 billion on child care, early years and Sure Start local programmes from 1998–99 to 2003–04.

Child Poverty

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government have to reduce child poverty; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government are making steady progress towards the PSA target to reduce by a quarter the number of children in low-income households by 2004–05, as a contribution to the longer-term goals of halving child poverty by 2010 and eradicating it by 2020. By 2002–03 there were around half a million fewer children in relative low-income households compared to 1998–99. The 2004 Spending Review announced a new child poverty PSA target, shared by the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Treasury, to halve the number of children in relative low-income households between 1998–99 and 2010–11, on the way to eradicating child poverty by 2020. The Government will also set an additional target in the 2006 Spending Review to halve by 2010–11 the number of children suffering a combination of material deprivation and low income. The child poverty review, published alongside the 2004 Spending Review, sets out a range of key measures to reduce child poverty and improve poor children's life chances, thus breaking cycles of deprivation.

Children

Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children (a) under two, (b) under five and (c) aged five to 16 years there were in (i) South-West Surrey constituency, (ii) Waverley borough council, (iii) Surrey county and (iv) England in (A) 1997 and (B) the latest available year; and what the estimate is for (1) 2007 and (2) 2012.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mrs. Virginia Bottomley, dated 7 September 2004
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many children (a) under two, (b) under five and (c) aged five to 16 years there were in (i) South West Surrey constituency, (ii) Waverley borough council, (iii) Surrey county and (iv) England in (A) 1997 and (B) the latest available year; and what the estimate is for (1) 2007 and (2) 2012. (187288)
	I attach a table showing the 1997 and 2002 mid-year population estimates and the 2007 and 2012 population projections for the areas requested. However, South West Surrey parliamentary constituency is coterminous with the area covered by Waverley borough council.
	Please note that population figures for the years shown are presently on different bases and cannot be compared precisely. This is because of work to improve population statistics following the 2001 Census, which is being incorporated progressively into statistical outputs. By November 2004, all the data shown in the tables will be available on a consistent basis.
	This follows an announcement made on 8 July 2004 about population estimates, which contains information about population estimate revisions and can be found at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme population/PEUannouncement 08Jul.pdf
	Information about the subnational population projections due for release on 16 November 2004 can be found at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme population/Subnational/Projections-22July2004.pdf
	
		Estimated and projection populations—Age groups and areas as shown, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2012 -- Thousand
		
			   Year (82) 
			 Area Age group 1997 (83) 2002 (83) 2007 (84) 2012 (84) 
		
		
			 England All ages 48,635.9 49,561.8 50,503.3 51,527.1 
			  0–1 1,217.7 1,113.6 1,153.7 1,171.6 
			  0–4 3,086.2 2,864.0 2,880.2 2,908.4 
			  5–16 7,490.4 7,594.9 7,244.2 6,943.4 
			 Surrey All ages 1,039.7 1,059.9 1,090.3 1,106.4 
			  0–1 25.4 23.6 24.2 24.1 
			  0–4 64.3 61.5 62.1 60.9 
			  5–16 150.0 156.0 162.6 160.0 
			 Waverley borough council area All ages 115.0 116.0 115.4 116.4 
			  0–1 2.7 2.5 2.5 2.5 
			  0–4 6.7 6.5 6.3 6.3 
			  5–16 17.2 17.6 16.9 16.3 
		
	
	(82) Important Note—Population figures for the years shown are presently on different bases and cannot be compared precisely. This is because of work to improve population statistics following the 2001 Census, which is being incorporated progressively into statistical outputs. By November 2004, all the data will be available on a consistent basis.
	(83) Mid-year estimates
	(84) Mid-year projections
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics, Government Actuary's Department

Civil Service Relocation

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to relocate civil service staff to the South West of England.

Paul Boateng: In line with Sir Michael Lyons' recommendations contained in his report published in March this year and endorsed in the 2004 Spending Review, it will be for Departments and public bodies themselves to determine the destination of relocated activities from London and the South East. Departments' decisions will be based on their own business needs and priorities, taking account of the requirement to improve public services, secure greater efficiencies and value for money for the taxpayer as well as of local economic conditions. Departments will also take into account forthcoming locational guidance that will be issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
	In the course of the Lyons and 2004 Spending Reviews, some Departments, including the Chancellor's Departments and the Department for Work and Pensions, have identified the South West as a possible destination for public sector activity. As you know, the South West has already benefited recently following the significant relocation of the Meteorological Office from the South East to Exeter.

Correspondence

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the reasons were for the delay by the Chief Executive of Inland Revenue in answering the letter to him from the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight dated 23 April concerning tax credit.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue aims to deal with letters from Members of Parliament and members of the public promptly and is targeted to deal with 80 per cent. of letters within 15 days. The Tax Credit Office is on line to achieve this target this year.
	Unfortunately, although the Tax Credit Office dealt promptly with the points raised in the hon. Member's letter, there was a long delay in replying to the letter itself because of an oversight. The Tax Credit Office has apologised to the hon. Member for the delay.

Correspondence

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) average and (b) upper decile delay by the Inland Revenue is in answering letters about tax credits from (i) hon. Members and (ii) members of the public.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available.

Debt Relief

John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has made to (a) the International Monetary Fund, (b) the World Bank and (c) the G8 regarding further topping up of highly indebted poor countries debt relief in the event of further oil price or other price shocks.

John Healey: The HIPC Initiative is delivering real benefits to participating countries. It is providing over $70 billion of debt relief, to the 27 countries that have reached decision point. It is helping increase annual social expenditures in countries receiving debt relief. Total social spending has increased by around $4 billion since 1999—equivalent to 2.7 per cent. of GDP. On average, health and education spending account for 65 per cent. of the use of HIPC debt relief.
	But there are countries that are forecast to exit the initiative with debt-to- export ratios above the HIPC target of 150 per cent. because of factors beyond their control. The UK continues to push for additional relief to be granted to all these countries at completion point ('topping up' relief). We successfully campaigned for Niger and Ethiopia to receive such additional relief, resulting in over $800 million in additional relief for two of the world's poorest countries.
	At the recent G8 Summit at Sea Island, the UK successfully pushed for Heads of Government to reaffirm their commitment to the provision of topping up relief for eligible countries at completion point. The UK also continues to lobby for a change in the topping up methodology to maximise the quantum of topping up relief.
	The UK also believes that more must be done beyond the HIPC Initiative to ensure debt sustainability in the world's poorest countries. We are proposing that the international community review further debt relief for the poorest countries, including making better use of IMF gold using a revaluation or off-market transactions, so that, to match bilateral debt relief, which we provide at up to 100 per cent., we can begin to consider how we provide multilateral debt relief of up to 100 per cent. as well.
	However, all low-income countries will need additional aid to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This is why the UK has called for an examination of possible financing mechanisms to provide up to 100 per cent. multilateral debt relief for HIPCs, and continues to push the International Finance Facility (IFF), which could provide the much- needed substantial increase in aid—in the form of grants, concessional loans, or further debt relief—needed to attain the MDGs without threatening the long-term debt sustainability of the world's poorest countries.

Departmental Performance (Complaints)

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he is taking in response to the comments made by the Parliamentary Ombudsman regarding delays by his Department in responding to complaints under the Code of Practice on access to Government information in her review of departmental performance against requirements of the Memorandum of Understanding published on 30 June; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Government takes any delays in responding to complaints under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information seriously.
	The Government regrets that delays do unavoidably occur in a minority of complex cases. However, the Ombudsman's review of the first nine months of the Memorandum of Understanding (September 2003—May 2004) shows that in most cases the requirements of the Memorandum of Understanding were met.
	In all cases, Departments endeavour to ensure that the time limit of three weeks for departments to respond to a "statement of complaint" from the Ombudsman is met. In accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding, Departments aim to enter into dialogue with the investigating officer should there be any difficulty in replying by the date set by the Ombudsman.

Employment Statistics

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the change in numbers in employment was in each industrial sector in (a) 2002, (b) 2003 and (c) 2004, broken down by (i) sector, (ii) private sector and (iii) self-employment in each (A) region and (B) county.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Cousins, dated 7 September 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the change in the numbers of people in employment in each industrial sector. (186832)
	I am placing four tables in the House of Commons Library, as follows.
	Table A shows the annual changes in the numbers of employee jobs by industry sector and region in Great Britain, for the years 2002 and 2003. The data comes from surveys of employers that provide the most up-to-date source of national and regional information. However, no information is available from them for areas below regional level.
	Table B shows the annual changes in the numbers of employee jobs by industry sector and local authority areas in Great Britain during 2002. This data comes from the Annual Business Inquiry (ABI), which provides information below regional level. However, the equivalent changes for 2003 are not yet available.
	Table C shows the available information about changes in private sector jobs by industry sector in the year ending June 2003, for the United Kingdom as a whole. This information is compiled annually using a special analysis of the employer survey data. Information is not available for all industry sectors, or by region.
	Table, D shows changes in numbers of self-employed people by industry, region and local authority area for the United Kingdom as a whole in the year ending February 2003. This information is obtained using local area data from the Labour Force Survey, which is a survey of people in households across the UK.

Financial Inclusion Fund

John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will outline his plans for a financial inclusion fund referred to at paragraph 5.28 of the 2004 Spending Review; whether it will cover Leeds, West; where it will be piloted; what support the fund will provide to credit unions; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: Further details of the Financial Inclusion Fund, announced in the 2004 Spending Review White Paper to support initiatives to tackle financial exclusion, will be published later in the year

Financial Products

Andrew Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what efforts he is making to improve public understanding of financial products and services; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Government are working closely with the voluntary sector, the financial services industry and others to develop and implement a national strategy for raising levels of financial capability, under the leadership of the Financial Services Authority. This strategy has identified a number of priority areas, based around key life events, from prospective parents to those who are planning for retirement. The Government already provide incentives to encourage long-term savings by giving generous tax treatment on pensions and is also working with industry to set up a suite of simpler savings products. In June this year the Government announced their proposals for the stakeholder suite of savings and investment products to be launched into the marketplace in April 2005. These are a suite of simple, low-cost, risk-controlled products to meet the short, medium and long-term savings needs for all consumers.
	Measures to support financial inclusion, such as the Savings Gateway, and the establishment of the Child Trust Fund also serve to encourage people to engage with the financial sector and develop the savings habit.

Financial Services and Markets Act

Andrew Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements are in place for the review of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: As explained in my statement to the House of 4 November 2003, the review is considering the impact of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 on competition, changes to aspects of the Financial Services Authority's practices, changes to the Financial Ombudsman Service, and changes to the boundary of regulation. I expect to make an announcement about the outcome of these considerations later this year.

FSA Regulations

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the financial services industry of complying with Financial Services Authority regulations since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: In 2003 the Financial Services Authority (FSA) commissioned Europe Economics to undertake a major survey of the financial costs of regulation and published the results. This survey found that the median increase in annual incremental compliance costs from 1998 to 2002 resulting from changes to FSA regulation was less than 1 per cent. of operating costs.

Gross Domestic Product

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the gross domestic product per head was for each of the last 25 years at current prices.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 7 September 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for the Gross Domestic Product per head for each of the last 25 years at current prices. (187117)
	Estimates of current price Gross Domestic Product per head for the UK, for the past 25 years, are shown in the attached table. These are the most recent data available, and are taken from the National Accounts 'Blue Book' 2004.
	
		Gross Domestic Product per head at current prices UK, 1979–2003
		
			 Year GDP per head (£) 
		
		
			 1979 3,509 
			 1980 4,096 
			 1981 4,488 
			 1982 4,921 
			 1983 5,376 
			 1984 5,750 
			 1985 6,276 
			 1986 6,727 
			 1987 7,387 
			 1988 8,229 
			 1989 9,010 
			 1990 9,737 
			 1991 10,203 
			 1992 10,607 
			 1993 11,127 
			 1994 11,772 
			 1995 12,402 
			 1996 13,139 
			 1997 13,928 
			 1998 14,727 
			 1999 15,444 
			 2000 16,210 
			 2001 16,837 
			 2002 17,628 
			 2003 18,524 
		
	
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Gross Domestic Product

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what national productivity growth rates were in each of the last 25 years.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Chris Ruane, dated 7 September 2004
	As National Statistician,, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on the rate of change of productivity in the UK economy in each of the last twenty five years. (187129)
	The accompanying table shows the rate of change of productivity, as measured by output per worker, for the whole UK economy. The data shown are from 1979 to 2003 inclusive.
	
		Annual change in productivity(85) UK, 1979–2003
		
			 Year Annual percentage change 
		
		
			 1979 0.7 
			 1980 -1.4 
			 1981 2.2 
			 1982 4.2 
			 1983 4.0 
			 1984 0.0 
			 1985 2.6 
			 1986 3.4 
			 1987 2.3 
			 1988 1.1 
			 1989 -0.7 
			 1990 0.3 
			 1991 2.0 
			 1992 3.6 
			 1993 3.5 
			 1994 3.7 
			 1995 1.5 
			 1996 1.9 
			 1997 1.4 
			 1998 2.5 
			 1999 1.3 
			 2000 2.8 
			 2001 1.3 
			 2002 0.7 
			 2003 1.0 
		
	
	(85) Measured by output per worker

HM Revenue and Customs

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Minister at HM Treasury will be responsible for the proposed HM Revenue and Customs organisation.

Gordon Brown: The Chancellor of the Exchequer is responsible for the current revenue departments, and subject to passage of the appropriate legislation this will remain the case for the proposed new department.

House Prices (Consumer Expenditure)

Andrew Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research has been undertaken into the impact of changes in house prices on the level of consumer expenditure; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: HM Treasury published evidence on the link between the housing market and consumer behaviour in June 2003 as part of the EMU Five Tests Assessment, in the supporting study 'Housing, Consumption and EMU'.

Household Saving

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to increase the level of household saving; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Government's strategy for savings and assets is focused on providing individuals with security, opportunity and independence throughout life, and with the information, incentives and income to make savings decisions.
	We have delivered this with reforms such as the introduction of Individual Savings Accounts, the application of the 10 per cent. starting rate for income tax to income from savings, and the new Child Trust Fund, as well as creating a stable economy with low interest rates, and radical reform and simplification of financial regulation and pensions. Net household wealth has now risen by over 50 per cent. since 1997.

Inheritance Tax Revenues

Brian Mawhinney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much, and what proportion, of inheritance tax revenues in fiscal year 2003–04 was derived from (a) primary homes, (b) other homes, (c) financial assets, (d) land, (e) art and similar assets, (f) investments overseas, (g) individual savings and trusts, (h) life insurance and (i) other sources, broken down by main categories.

Dawn Primarolo: IHT receipts were £2.5 billion in 2003–04. A breakdown of this figure into asset types is not yet available. The available information relates to the asset breakdown for taxable estates passing on death in 2001–02 which is published in Table 12.6 of Inland Revenue Statistics, available at http://newinternet.inrev.gov.uk/stats/inheritance tax/table12–6.pdf.

Loan Repayments

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research is being conducted into the size of (a) secured and (b) unsecured loan repayments in different (i) socio-economic and (ii) income groups.

Ruth Kelly: Annex C of "Tackling Over-indebtedness—Action Plan 2004", published on 20 July 2004 by the Department of Trade and Industry, provides a summary of recent research into over-indebtedness. Furthermore, Annex D, of the same document, reinforces the DTI's commitment to developing a monitoring approach, as promised in the Consumer Credit White Paper. "Tackling Over-indebtedness-Action Plan 2004" can be found at http://www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/pdf1/overdebt0704.pdf.

Long-term Unemployment

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate the Government have made of how many (a) men and (b) women over the age of 50 were defined as long-term unemployed in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what estimate the Government have made of the percentage of men and women over the age of 50 who were defined as long-term unemployed in each year since 1997, broken down by region.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Shaun Woodward, dated 7 September 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about long-term unemployment. (186945, 186930)
	Table 1 shows the number of men and women aged 50 and over in long-term unemployment. Table 2 shows the rate of long-term unemployment as a percentage of all unemployment in this age group. Both tables relate to the three month periods ending in May of each year from 1997 to 2004.
	Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to sampling variability. In particular, estimates for UK regions are based on small sample sizes and are subject to a high degree of sampling variability. They should be treated with caution.
	
		Table 1: Number of people aged 50 and over who are long-term unemployed(86), by gender, UK regions, 1997 to 2004(three-month periods ending May each year) -- Thousand
		
			 Region 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Total 
			 North East 9 10 11 8 6 5 6 6 
			 North West 16 18 15 16 10 9 7 6 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 14 12 12 5 5 4 9 6 
			 East Midlands 15 7 7 6 5 5 5 5 
			 West Midlands 20 15 13 15 12 10 8 5 
			 Eastern 16 12 10 7 4 7 5 5 
			 London 32 25 24 18 15 13 16 12 
			 South East 18 17 9 10 6 6 5 7 
			 South West 11 12 9 5 5 4 5 2 
			  
			 Wales 7 9 6 5 4 5 2 3 
			 Scotland 17 13 15 18 10 15 11 8 
			 Northern Ireland 7 6 3 4 3 3 3 3 
			  
			 United Kingdom 183 157 134 118 85 87 82 69 
			  
			 Male 
			 North East 6 9 8 6 5 4 5 5 
			 North West 14 14 12 13 7 7 7 4 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 12 11 11 4 4 4 7 6 
			 East Midlands 11 5 5 4 4 4 3 4 
			 West Midlands 15 12 10 12 11 8 6 4 
			 Eastern 12 8 7 5 2 5 3 4 
			 London 22 16 18 14 12 9 10 8 
			 South East 15 11 6 7 4 4 5 4 
			 South West 7 9 7 4 3 4 3 2 
			  
			 Wales 6 8 6 4 4 4 1 2 
			 Scotland 13 10 12 15 8 12 9 6 
			 Northern Ireland 6 6 3 3 2 2 3 3 
			  
			 United Kingdom 139 119 104 92 67 66 62 52 
			 Female 
			 North East 3 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 
			 North West 3 4 3 4 3 2 1 2 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 2 1 1 1 0 1 2 0 
			 East Midlands 4 2 2 2 1 1 2 1 
			 West Midlands 6 3 2 3 1 2 2 1 
			 Eastern 4 5 3 2 2 2 2 1 
			 London 10 8 7 4 3 4 6 4 
			 South East 3 6 4 3 2 2 1 3 
			 South West 4 3 2 1 2 1 2 0 
			  
			 Wales 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 
			 Scotland 4 3 3 3 1 3 2 2 
			 Northern Ireland 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 
			  
			 United Kingdom 44 38 30 26 17 22 20 17 
		
	
	(86) Unemployed for one year or more.
	Note:
	Estimates for UK regions are based on small sample sizes and are subject to a high level of sampling variability. They should be treated with caution. In particular, year-to-year changes are likely to show considerable volatility, and should not be used is isolation from the estimates for a sequence of years.
	Source:
	ONS: Labour Force Survey.
	
		Table 2: Percentage of unemployed people aged 50 and over who are long-term unemployed(87), by gender, UK regions, 1997 to 2004(three-month periods ending May each year) -- Percentage(88)
		
			 Region 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Total 
			 North East 55 55 57 47 47 38 46 49 
			 North West 51 61 43 49 36 40 36 35 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 53 52 44 24 33 27 44 38 
			 East Midlands 56 48 37 33 37 23 28 32 
			 West Midlands 63 57 44 46 54 38 39 23 
			 Eastern 52 47 46 38 27 38 26 24 
			 London 59 57 55 46 53 38 44 35 
			 South East 41 47 34 36 27 23 18 26 
			 South West 41 51 38 24 35 24 29 15 
			  
			 Wales 57 57 37 47 51 39 17 31 
			 Scotland 51 46 50 50 39 52 49 35 
			 Northern Ireland 73 68 66 55 49 49 40 53 
			  
			 United Kingdom 52.9 52.9 45.4 41.7 40.2 35.4 35.2 31.5 
			  
			 Male 
			 North East 53 66 60 48 53 40 50 49 
			 North West 55 60 44 54 38 45 43 37 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 61 59 49 29 39 39 50 46 
			 East Midlands 61 48 43 35 45 25 26 38 
			 West Midlands 64 57 53 56 55 43 43 23 
			 Eastern 53 43 50 43 25 50 30 28 
			 London 64 59 57 50 55 40 45 42 
			 South East 49 46 34 35 26 21 22 26 
			 South West 38 59 42 32 39 31 31 17 
			  
			 Wales 76 72 45 52 55 55 15 33 
			 Scotland 55 51 55 51 43 58 52 35 
			 Northern Ireland 74 77 73 60 49 48 47 62 
			  
			 United Kingdom 57.3 56.7 49.6 46.0 43.8 40.3 38.5 34.5 
			  
			 Female 
			 North East 62 24 49 47 31 33 32 52 
			 North West 38 62 40 37 31 30 12 30 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 32 25 25 16 11 11 33 11 
			 East Midlands 45 49 27 27 23 18 29 19 
			 West Midlands 59 54 25 27 38 27 30 23 
			 Eastern 49 54 38 27 30 22 20 17 
			 London 50 53 51 36 46 34 41 26 
			 South East 23 49 34 39 29 29 10 28 
			 South West 47 35 30 11 29 12 26 10 
			  
			 Wales 18 24 11 32 31 18 26 27 
			 Scotland 40 35 35 47 23 37 39 38 
			 Northern Ireland 63 20 38 43 49 50 20 23 
			  
			 United Kingdom 42.7 43.7 35.0 31.4 30.6 26.0 27.8 25.0 
		
	
	(87) Unemployed for one year or more.
	(88) Long-term unemployed people as a percentage of all unemployed people.
	Note:
	Estimates for UK regions are based on small sample sizes and are subject to a high level of sampling variability. They should be treated with caution. In particular, year-to-year changes are likely to show considerable volatility, and should not be used is isolation from the estimates for a sequence of years.
	Source:
	ONS: Labour Force Survey.

Mortgage Market

Andrew Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he is proposing to improve the working of the UK mortgage market following the Miles Review; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: On 12 March 2004 David Miles published his review of the UK mortgage market. His remit was to undertake analysis of supply and demand side factors limiting the development of the longer-term fixed-rate mortgage market in the UK, and to examine whether there has been any market failure that has held back the market for longer-term fixed-rate mortgages. In Budget 2004 the Chancellor endorsed the conclusion in David Miles review of the UK mortgage market that "urgent reform is desirable to make the market work better for consumers in a number of areas". The Treasury has been discussing the recommendations with a range of stakeholders including the Financial Services Authority, and intends to provide a detailed update in the Pre-Budget Report.

Older Workers

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 5 July 2004, Official Report, column 602W, on people of retirement age, how many people above state pension age were in employment for the same period in each year since 1992.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. David Willetts, dated 7 September 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about people of retirement age in employment. (186770)
	The attached table gives the estimates of the number of people above state pension age in employment for the three months ending May each year from 1992 to 2004.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) are subject to sampling variability.
	
		Number(89) of people above state pension age(90) in employment, United Kingdom, 3 month periods ending May each year from 1992 to 2004
		
			 Thousand 
			  Number of people 
		
		
			 1992 814 
			 1993 770 
			 1994 779 
			 1995 794 
			 1996 770 
			 1997 802 
			 1998 775 
			 1999 817 
			 2000 831 
			 2001 819 
			 2002 887 
			 2003 933 
			 2004 995 
		
	
	(89) Seasonally adjusted.
	(90) This refers to men aged 65 and over and women aged 60 and over.
	Source:
	ONS: Labour Force Survey.

One-parent Households

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Government have made of (a) how many and (b) what percentage of children lived in one parent households in (i) St. Helens and (ii) the UK, broken down by region, in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Shaun Woodward, dated 7 September 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the number and percentage of children living in one-parent households in (a) St. Helens and (b) the United Kingdom broken down by region in each year since 1997. (186821)
	The attached table shows estimates of the numbers of dependent children living in one-parent families in private households, and the proportions they represent of all dependent children living in families in private households. These estimates have been derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), apart from the year 2001 for which that year's Census data are shown.
	The LFS provides estimates for the United Kingdom, countries of the UK and Government Office regions as well as local authority data for certain variables. However, the most recent year for which estimates are available on children in one-parent families in St. Helens local authority is 2002. Estimates for this specific variable are not available at local authority level before 2001.
	
		Number of dependent children living in lone parent families—UK Government Office Regions, 1997–2004 -- Thousand
		
			 Area of residence 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 2,762 2,916 2,905 2,863 3,043 3,037 3,033 3,084 
			 North East 142 146 145 148 144 149 164 158 
			 North West 392 428 405 397 410 464 430 411 
			 Merseyside 116 129 116 103 107 122 125 111 
			 St. Helens (91)— (91)— (91)— (91)— 11 12 (91)— (91)— 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 241 247 242 242 260 248 249 262 
			 East Midlands 175 174 163 162 196 195 187 170 
			 West Midlands 240 258 251 257 279 269 254 255 
			 Eastern 197 206 205 196 222 226 219 230 
			 London 427 458 486 487 461 480 485 554 
			 South East 298 289 289 285 325 325 328 315 
			 South West 181 193 192 175 209 197 192 191 
			 Wales 144 169 181 169 165 160 157 166 
			 Scotland 231 250 249 246 269 233 259 261 
			 Northern Ireland 93 98 95 100 103 94 108 110 
		
	
	
		Percentage of dependent children living in lone parent families—UK Government Office Regions, 1997–2004 -- Percentage
		
			 Area of residence 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 20.8 22.0 21.9 21.6 23.3 23.2 23.2 23.6 
			 North East 24.3 24.8 24.7 26.2 26.3 27.4 30.5 30.6 
			 North West 24.7 26.8 25.7 25.4 26.7 28.9 26.7 26.3 
			 Merseyside 31.9 37.1 35.2 32.8 34.0 35.3 36.3 316 
			 St. Helens (91)— (91)— (91)— (91)— 26.9 27.2 (91)— (91)— 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 21.4 22.4 21.9 22.2 23.3 23.5 23.5 24.5 
			 East Midlands 19.1 19.1 17.6 18.0 21.3 20.9 20.3 18.7 
			 West Midlands 19.8 21.8 21.2 21.4 23.1 22.7 21. 8 21.4 
			 Eastern 16.6 17.4 17.4 16.6 18.6 18.7 18.1 19.1 
			 London 26.0 27.6 28.8 28.2 29.0 28.1 27.9 31.2 
			 South East 17.3 16.4 16.3 15.9 18.6 18.7 19.4 18.1 
			 South West 17.4 18.6 18.4 16.2 20.3 19.3 19.2 18.6 
			 Wales 22.1 25.0 26.6 25.2 25.4 24.1 24.9 26.3 
			 Scotland 21.2 23.1 23.8 23.7 25.3 23.0 24.9 26.0 
			 Northern Ireland 19.3 20.9 21.1 22.6 22.9 21.1 24.0 24.9 
		
	
	(91) Not available.
	Source:
	Labour Force Survey and 2001 Census, ONS
	2001 Census Northern Ireland Statistics
	2001 Census General Register Office for Scotland

Pensions (Tax Relief)

Andrew Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to public funds was of tax relief for individuals on pension contributions in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Available estimates of the cost of tax relief on private pensions are contained in table 7.9 of Inland Revenue Statistics. The latest version is on the Inland Revenue website:
	http://www.inlandrevenue.qov.uk/stats/pensions/table7 9.pdf These estimates are due to be updated in September 2004.

Personal Income Tax Allowance

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the effects would be on the incomes of households in each quintile of the income distribution of raising the personal income tax allowance to £10,000 per annum.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is as follows.
	
		Percentage increase
		
			  Quintile Percentage change in net equivalised household income (before housing costs) 
		
		
			 1 1.4 
			 2 3.1 
			 3 4.9 
			 4 5.9 
			 5 5.1 
		
	
	These changes in household income are based on IGOTM tax and benefits model using the Family Resources Survey 2002–03.

Personal Tax Allowance

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to change the personal tax allowance for those of pensionable age.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government's policy is to increase the age-related personal allowances for those 65 and over at least in line with earnings for the remainder of the Parliament.

PFI/PPP Contracts

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many contracts his Department had with (a) Barclays, (b) the Royal Bank of Scotland, (c) UBS Warburg and (d) the Bank of Scotland for advice on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts in each financial year since 2001–02; and what fees were paid in each case.

Ruth Kelly: None

PFI/PPP Contracts

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what level of costs for insurance is included in PFI/PPP schemes agreed in the last two years; what review of insurance costs has been undertaken; and what conclusions have been reached.

Paul Boateng: The contractor in a PFI consortium is responsible for procuring the necessary insurance for a PFI scheme. The costs will vary depending on the nature of the project as well as the conditions in the insurance market at the time the insurances are taken out.
	There has been no official review of PFI insurance costs by HM Treasury. However, guidance on the treatment of insurance costs is contained in the HMT Standardisation of Contracts Version 3 (SOPC3) and OGC Business and Operational Guidance "PFI Contracts: Insurance Costs". SOPC3 states that the risk of increases in insurance costs should be borne by the contractor, while recognising that it will not represent best value for money if bidders price in worst case scenarios for future insurance premium levels in to their bids. The OGC guidance therefore sets out a mechanism for sharing insurance cost increases should there be exceptional circumstances in the international insurance market.

Population Changes

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the change in population arising from changes in (a) net indigenous population and (b) net immigration in each decade to 2050, broken down by region.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. John Hayes, dated 7 September 2004
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the change in population arising from changes in net indigenous population and immigration in the decades to 2050, by region. (187335)
	The attached table shows population projections at Government Office Region level for the years 2000, 2010 and 2020. These figures are 1996-based and are the latest basis on which long-term subnational population projections are currently available. These projections have a 25 year "horizon" and so only figures to 2020 are available at this geographical level.
	The projected natural population change (number of births less number of deaths) and the assumed level of net international migration, for each region, are also shown in the table. It should be noted that these two components are not independent, and that the level of natural change projected for the future is itself partly dependent on the assumed level of net migration.
	The figures shown in the table for England are not the latest 2002-based projections produced by GAD but are 1996-based to be consistent with the subnational projections shown. Please note that these include a lower assumption for international migration than the latest set which can be found at: http://www.gad.gov.uk/Population/index.asp
	A note considering the overall impact of assumed net migration on future population growth is available from the Government Actuary's Department website at: http://www. gad.gov.uk/Population/2002/methodology/mignote.htm. This is a UK level analysis from GAD's latest (2002-based) national projections. Comparable analysis is not available for the 1996-based projections.
	The Office for National Statistics will publish 2003-based subnational population projections on 16 November. Information about this release can be found at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme population/Subnational/Projections-22July2004.pdf
	
		Projected Population by Government Office Region for Decades—Total population for Government Office Regions as shown, 2000, 2010, 2020 -- Thousand
		
			   Year 
			 Area Population 2000 2010 2020 
		
		
			 England Total population 49,730.2 51,031.6 52,361.2 
			  (10-year change)  1,301.5 1,329.6 
			  Net natural change  640.8 669.0 
			  Net international migration  658.6 658.6 
			 North East Total population 2,584.0 2,539.4 2,511.8 
			  (10-year change)  -44.7 -27.6 
			  Net natural change  -18.7 -16.5 
			  Net international migration  10.9 10.9 
			 North West Total population 6,875.4 6,823.7 6,809.4 
			  (10-year change)  -51.7 -14.3 
			  Net natural change  25.5 36.5 
			  Net international migration  -5.3 -5.3 
			 Yorkshire and Total population 5,065.2 5,122.9 5,193.5 
			 the Humber (10-year change)  57.7 70.6 
			  Net natural change  43.1 56.1 
			  Net international migration  34.3 34.3 
			 East Midlands Total population 4,217.0 4,369.4 4,510.4 
			  (10-year change)  152.4 141.0 
			  Net natural change  25.2 20.2 
			  Net international migration  41.7 41.7 
			 West Midlands Total population 5,338.5 5,369.2 5,407.5 
			  (10-year change)  30.7 38.3 
			  Net natural change  53.3 47.5 
			  Net international migration  42.4 42.4 
			 East Total population 5,418.8 5,678.4 5,918.1 
			  (10-year change)  259.6 239.8 
			  Net natural change  63.2 44.5 
			  Net international migration  58.2 58.2 
			 London Total population 7,191.6 7,442.6 7,712.3 
			  (10-year change)  251.0 269.7 
			  Net natural change  422.8 480.8 
			  Net international migration  310.0 310.0 
			 South East Total population 8,088.6 8,496.5 8,869.5 
			  (10-year change)  407.9 373.0 
			  Net natural change  81.8 67.2 
			  Net international migration  113.5 113.5 
			 South West Total population 4,951.0 5,189.6 5,428.7 
			  (10-year change)  238.6 239.1 
			  Net natural change  -55.4 -67.3 
			  Net international migration  53.0 53.0 
		
	
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Post-65 Population

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the percentage of the population over the age of 65 has changed in each year since 1975.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Woodward, dated 7 September 2004
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the annual change in the percentage of the population aged over 65 since 1975. (186946)
	I attach a table showing the population estimates for England and Wales, the percentage of the population aged 65 and over, and the annual change in this percentage. The table incorporates interim revised estimates for England and Wales for mid-1992 to mid-2000, which take account of research carried out into population estimates following the 2001 census.
	Population estimates for mid-1992 to mid-2002 are subject to future revision. Information about population estimate revisions can be found at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/Methodology by theme/revisions popestimates.asp.
	
		Total population and change in the percentage of population aged 65 and over England and Wales, 1975–2002 -- Thousands
		
			 Year(92) Total population Population aged 65 and over Percentage population aged 65 and over Change in percentage population aged 65 and over 
		
		
			 1975 49,469.8 7,033.5 14.2 — 
			 1976 49,459.2 7,119.1 14.4 0.18 
			 1977 49,440.4 7,214.2 14.6 0.20 
			 1978 49,442.5 7,315.8 14.8 0.20 
			 1979 49,508.2 7,409.6 15.0 0.17 
			 1980 49,603.0 7,505.4 15.1 0.16 
			 1981 49,634.3 7,548.1 15.2 0.08 
			 1982 49,581.6 7,550.0 15.2 0.02 
			 1983 49,617.0 7,505.2 15.1 -0.70 
			 1984 49,713.1 7,482.6 15.1 -0.07 
			 1985 49,860.7 7,646.9 15.3 0.29 
			 1986 49,998.6 7,767.6 15.5 0.20 
			 1987 50,123.0 7,865.7 15.7 0.16 
			 1988 50,253.6 7,931.9 15.8 0.09 
			 1989 50,407.8 7,997.1 15.9 0.08 
			 1990 50,560.6 8,033.0 15.9 0.02 
			 1991 50,748.0 8,080.3 15.9 0.03 
			 1992 50,873.5 8,115.8 16.0 0.03 
			 1993 50,983.0 8,145.0 16.0 0.02 
			 1994 51,109.3 8,157.8 16.0 -0.01 
			 1995 51,252.2 8,191.5 16.0 0.02 
			 1996 51,385.5 8,213.7 16.0 0.00 
			 1997 51,528.2 8,228.1 16.0 -0.02 
			 1998 51,685.3 8,249.2 16.0 -0.01 
			 1999 51,884.2 8,251.6 15.9 -0.06 
			 2000 52,070.7 8,275.3 15.9 -0.01 
			 2001 52,297.3 8,330.8 15.9 0.04 
			 2002 52,480.5 8,389.5 16.0 0.06 
		
	
	(92) Mid-year estimates. Population estimates for 1992–2000 are subject to revision
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Productivity

Kenneth Clarke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the rate of change of productivity in the UK economy in each of the last seven years.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Kenneth Clarke, dated 7 September 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on the rate of change of productivity in the UK Economy in each of the last seven years. (186210)
	The accompanying table shows the rate of change of productivity, as measured by output per worker, for the whole economy. The data shown are from 1997 to 2003 inclusive.
	
		Percentage
		
			  Annual growth rate 
		
		
			 1997 1.4 
			 1998 2.5 
			 1999 1.3 
			 2000 2.8 
			 2001 1.3 
			 2002 0.7 
			 2003 1.0

Public Sector Jobs (Gloucestershire)

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the implications of the Spending Review for public sector jobs in Gloucestershire.

Paul Boateng: There will be an overall gross reduction in posts of 84,150 by 2008 and Departments will pursue these reductions in line with business need. Departments are still developing their plans concerning the SR04 work force changes.

Redundancy

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information the Government have collated on the percentage of people over the age of 50 who have been made redundant in each year since 1997 (a) nationally, (b) by region and (c) in St. Helens.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Shaun Woodward, dated 7 September 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about redundancy. (186875)
	The attached table gives estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) of redundancy rates for people aged 50 and over for the UK as a whole and by region for the three month periods ending in May of each year from 1997 to 2004.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to sampling variability. The LFS sample sizes were too small to yield meaningful estimates for St Helens local authority.
	
		Redundancy rates(93) for people aged 50 and over—UK regions, 1997 to 2004 (3 month period ending May of each year)(94) -- Rate per 1,000 employees(94)
		
			 Area of residence 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 8.7 8.1 9.1 8.0 7.1 9.S 7.2 7.1 
			  
			 Great Britain 8.7 8.2 9.3 7.9 7.3 9.6 7,3 7.2 
			  
			 England 8.8 8.1 9.2 8.1 7.2 10.0 7.2 6.8 
			  
			 North East 20.0 7.9 2.2 6.1 6.0 17.1 12.6 1.7 
			 North West 13.1 6.7 15.8 9.3 7.2 8.1 5.5 4.2 
			 Yorkshire & Humberside 7.4 9.5 11.2 8.5 6.8 8.3 6.3 8.0 
			 East Midlands 13.3 12.8 9.1 8.0 12.3 15.7 14.0 7.9 
			 West Midlands 7.9 9.5 10.3 10.1 10.1 12.6 11.3 12.2 
			 Eastern 5.1 11.1 8.2 5.4 7.2 8.5 3.6 8.8 
			 London 4.0 5.3 7.0 8.1 9.0 9.2 1.0 4.9 
			 South East 9.0 7.6 7.7 8.5 3.7 10.3 7.3 6.0 
			 Southwest 5.9 3.9 8.0 7.8 5.1 4.9 8.7 5.6 
			  
			 Wales 7.8 4.8 9.8 3.7 9.9 9.1 8.8 7.7 
			 Scotland 9.0 10.7 9.7 7.8 6.1 6.1 7.3 10.4 
			 Northern Ireland 9.1 2.6 0.0 13.5 0.0 6.5 3.1 1.8 
		
	
	(93) The redundancy rate is based on the number of people resident in an area who are made redundant in the three months prior to interview in the LFS expressed as a proportion (per 1,000 employees) of the total number of employees
	(94) Not seasonally adjusted
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey

Residential Stamp Duty

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the revenue from residential stamp duty was in (a) 1996–97, (b) 2001–02, (c) 2002–03 and (d) 2003–04; and what the projected revenue is for 2004–05.

Ruth Kelly: Estimates of the revenue from stamp duty on residential property in 1996–97, 2001–02 and 2002–03 are given at http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/stamp duty/03IRl52.pdf.
	Estimates of the revenue from stamp duty on residential property for 2003–04 will be published later in the year. Projections for 2004–05 are not available.

Savings Gateway Pilot

Andrew Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evaluation has taken place of the impact of the Savings Gateway pilot on levels of savings among low-income consumers; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Saving Gateway pilot final evaluation is due in early 2005. No substantial conclusions can be drawn until we receive the full research findings, however indicators so far are good. The latest interim evaluation report showed that 1,478 accounts had been opened (the target was 1,500), and the participants were mostly drawn from young families with children. The total amount saved by account-holders was approaching £300,000 by the end of February 2004, and there was little evidence that people had transferred money from existing savings accounts or borrowed to save. This report is available on the HM Treasury website.

Staff Recruitment

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what media outlets are used for the recruitment of each level of staff in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Treasury uses a wide variety of different publications for recruitment advertising, tailored according to the nature of the vacancy to be filled. This includes the use of professional journals and magazines, national and local newspapers, and websites.

Staff Recruitment

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how vacancies are publicised within his Department; how non-fast streamers are recruited to work in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: HM Treasury publicises its internal vacancies on the Treasury's intranet site, and the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway. For external recruitment of non-fast streamers, HM Treasury uses a wide variety of different publications for advertising, tailored according to the nature of the vacancy to be filled. This includes the use of professional journals and magazines, national and local newspapers, and other relevant websites, including HM Treasury's website (www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/careers). Recruitment in HM Treasury is based upon the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Code of fair and open competition, and selection on merit.

Staff Recruitment

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Treasury spent on recruitment in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 5 March 2004, Official Report, column 1211W. The costs of recruiting staff fall largely to individual teams, and are charged to team budgets. Therefore, information on the total cost of recruiting staff is not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Staff Recruitment

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people the Treasury recruited in each of the last three years.

Ruth Kelly: The number of new recruits to HM Treasury, as recorded in the Treasury's Departmental Report, can be found in the following table:
	
		
			  2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Permanent appointments 135 80 103 
			 Fixed-term appointments 20 9 13 
			 Permanent transfers/reinstatements 2 0 2 
			 Secondments in 17 15 19 
			 Casual appointments 42 32 45 
			 Total 212 136 182

Unemployment Payments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of unemployment payments (a) in total and (b) as a percentage of national income in each of the last 25 years.

Chris Pond: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is in the table.
	
		
			  Unemployment benefits (£ million) 
			  Nominal terms1, 2 2004–05 prices1, 2 Percentage of gross domestic product(95) 
		
		
			 1979–80 1,176 3,752 0.6 
			 1980–81 2,074 5,600 0.9 
			 1981–82 3,214 7,923 1.2 
			 1982–83 4,067 9,364 1.4 
			 1983–84 4,753 10,464 1.5 
			 1984–85 5,308 11,104 1.6 
			 1985–86 5,803 11,519 1.6 
			 1986–87 6,070 11,676 1.6 
			 1987–88 5,453 9,934 1.3 
			 1988–89 4,152 7,070 0.9 
			 1989–90 3,364 5,352 0.6 
			 1990–91 3,810 5,618 0.7 
			 1991–92 5,804 8,071 1.0 
			 1992–93 7,139 9,615 1.2 
			 1993–94 7,389 9,693 1.1 
			 1994–95 6,482 8,381 0.9 
			 1995–96 5,925 7,445 0.8 
			 1996–97 5,112 6,215 0.7 
			 1997–98 3,893 4,615 0.5 
			 1998–99 3,558 4,099 0.4 
			 1999–2000 3,255 3,670 0.4 
			 2000–01 2,882 3,213 0.3 
			 2001–02 2,606 2,832 0.3 
			 2002–03 2,624 2,760 0.2 
			 2003–04 2,548 2,606 0.2 
		
	
	(95) Unemployment benefits totals are rounded to the nearest million; the percentage of gross domestic product has been rounded to nearest 0.1 per cent.
	(96) Unemployment benefits include: unemployment benefit, which was replaced by jobseeker's allowance contribution-based in October 1996; supplementary benefit paid to unemployed people, which was replaced by income support for the unemployed in April 1988, and was further replaced by jobseeker's allowance (income-based) in October 1996.

Women Workers

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates the Government have made of the percentage of women in (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment in (i) St Helens and (ii) the UK, broken down by region, in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Sean Woodward dated 7 September 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about females in full-time and part-time employment. (186926)
	The attached table' shows the percentages of females in full-time, and part-time employment and the number of women in employment in St. Helens Local Authority and each region of the UK for the three month periods ending in May of each year from 1997 to 2004.'
	Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to sampling Variability. Estimates for St Helens Local Authority District are based on small sample sizes and are subject to a high level of sampling variability. In particular, year-to-year changes are likely to show considerable volatility.
	
		Female employment: percentages in full and part-time 3 months ending May each year from 1997 to 2004 not seasonally adjusted -- March to May
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Full Time(97) 
			 United Kingdom 55.1 55.2 55.6 55.5 55.6 55.9 55.6 55.6 
			 Great Britain 55.0 55.0 55.3 55.4 55.4 55.8 55.5 55.4 
			 England 54.7 54.7 55.2 55.5 55.4 55.7 55.4 1 55.3 
			 North East 51.4 54.1 52.2 52.9 53.5 53.9 53.8 56.3 
			 North West: 55.7 55.2 55.7 56.6 57.1 57.5 57.2 57.4 
			 St Helens (Local Authority)(98) n/a n/a n/a 44 56 56 59 63 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 52.5 51.3 51.0 52.9 51.5 52.8 52.1 52.3 
			 East Midlands 51.0 51.8 52.8 53,0 52.7 52.4 54.0 53.7 
			 West Midlands 54.2 54.8 53.8 54.7 54.8 54.7 54.9 53.6 
			 Eastern 54.4 54.0 55.3 53.0 53.9 53.8 55.1 52.1 
			 London 65.6 64.3 66.2 65.6 66.3 66.9 65.9 66.1 
			 South East 53.4 53.7 53.8 54.6 54.4 54.3 52.6 53.5 
			 South West 47.9 49.2 50.0 50.6 48.4 49.3 48.9 49.5 
			 Wales 53.6 54.8 55.0 53.3 53.7 55.3 56.1 54.2 
			 Scotland 57.9 57.6 56.5 55.5 56.8 57.6 56.6 57.8 
			 Northern Ireland 61.3 61.6 63.6 58.5 61.8 58.8 59.0 62.5 
			 Part Time(97) 
			 United Kingdom 44.9 44.8 44.4 44.5 44.4 44.1 44.3 44.3 
			 Great Britain 45.0 45.0 44.6 44.6 44.5 44.1 44.4 44.5 
			 England 45.3 45.2 44.7 44.5 44.6 44.3 44.6 44.7 
			 North East 48.6 45.9 47.7 47.1 46.5 46.1 46.2 43.6 
			 North West: 44.3 44.8 44.3 43.4 42.9 42.5 42.8 42.6 
			 St Helens (Local Authority)(98) n/a n/a n/a 56 44 44 41 37 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 47.5 48.7 48.9 47.0 48.5 47.2 47.9 47.7 
			 East Midlands 49.0 48.2 47.2 47.0 47.3 47.6 45.9 46.3 
			 West Midlands 45.8 45.1 46.2 45.3 45.2 45.3 45.0 46.4 
			 Eastern 45.5 46.0 44.7 47.0 46.1 46.1 44.9 47.9 
			 London 34.4 35.6 33.7 34,4 33.7 33.1 33.9 33.8 
			 South East 46.6 46.2 46.2 45.3 45.6 45.7 47.4 46.4 
			 South West 52.1 50.8 50.0 49.4 51.6 50.7 51.0 50.4 
			 Wales 46.3 45.2 45.0 46.7 46.3 44.6 43.8 45.8 
			 Scotland 42.1 42.4 43.5 44.5 43.1 42.4 43.4 42.1 
			 Northern Ireland 38.6 38.2 36.4 41.5 38.2 41.1 41.0 37.4 
			 Total in employment (thousands) 
			 United Kingdom 12,000 12,092 12,294 12,471 12,617 12,764 12,847 12,971 
			 Great Britain 11,697 11,792 11,984 12,175 12,307 12,442 12,520 12,647 
			 England 10,091 10,179 10,359 10,534 10,636 10,764 10,767 10,893 
			 North East 485 469 469 483 489 507 489 515 
			 North West: 1,339 1,322 1,346 1,365 1,418 1,420 1,433 1 ,445 
			 St Helens (Local Authority)(98) n/a n/a n/a 35 34 37 35 35 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 986 1,006 1,006 1,039 1,044 1,034 1,056 1,077 
			 East Midlands 881 884 891 908 886 919 918 944 
			 West Midlands 1,045 1,067 1,086 1,082 1,086 1,099 1,109 1,119 
			 Eastern 1,118 1,144 1,164 1,190 1,225 1,221 1,228 1,265 
			 London 1,466 1,474 1,537 1,554 1,557 1,576 1,534 1,543 
			 South East 1,731 1,768 1,790 1,833 1,839 1,859 1,883 1,856 
			 South West 1,040 1,046 1,070 1,081 1,091 1,128 1,118 1,128 
			 Wales 551 545 555 560 560 559 625 605 
			 Scotland 1,054 1,068 1,070 1,081 1,111 1,119 1,129. 1,149 
			 Northern Ireland 304 300 310 296 310 321 327 324 
		
	
	n/a no available data
	(97) Percentage of all women in employment. Percentages are based on total that includes people who did state whether they were full or part-time who did not answer the full or part time question
	(98) Estimates for St. Helens Local Authority are based on smaller sample sizes and are therefore subject to a higher degree of sampling variability. They should therefore be treated with caution and, in particular, changes from year to year should not be used in isolation from the figures for a run of years.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey

Work Force Statistics

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the (a) female work force aged between 50 and 60 and (b) male work force aged between 50 and 65 have been in employment in each year since 1997, broken down by region.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Sean Woodward dated 7 September 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about employment of people aged 50 and over. (186929)
	The attached table shows the percentage of (a) men aged 50–64 and (b) women aged 50–59 who are in employment in each region for the three months ending in May each year from 1997 to 2004.
	Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to sampling variability.
	
		Percentage of men aged 50–64 and women aged 50–59 in employment UK regions, 1997 to 2004(three month period ending May of each year) -- Percentage
		
			 Area of residence 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Men aged 50–64 in employment 
			 United Kingdom(99) 67.2 67.7 68.4 68.5 70.0 69.7 71.7 71.7 
			 Great Britain 67.3 68.0 68.6 68.8 70.3 69.9 71.8 71.9 
			  
			 England 68.4 69.1 69.9 69.9 71.3 71.0 72.6 72.5 
			 North East 54.6 53.5 54.3 54.1 58.2 55.1 60.0 58.0 
			 North West 61.9 60.6 62.8 63.6 64.3 64.0 68.7 68.0 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 61.8 64.6 62.7 68.1 67.9 70.1 69.1 71.4 
			 East Midlands 70.2 70.8 71.6 74.0 72.6 72.1 75.5 73.8 
			 West Midlands 71.0 71.3 71.3 67.6 68.9 70.6 73.3 69.9 
			 Eastern 72.8 76.9 74.7 75.3 78.4 77.6 77.2 76.2 
			 London 67.7 65.2 68.8 67.7 69.7 68.8 68.6 70.7 
			 South East 74.5 77.4 78.9 76.8 77.8 77.8 77.7 79.3 
			 South West 72.8 72.4 73.3 72.9 75.2 72.8 75.6 75.7 
			 Wales 58.2 57.7 58.7 60.6 60.1 62.4 64.5 66.1 
			 Scotland 62.9 63.1 61.8 62.5 66.7 63.9 69.1 69.5 
			 Northern Ireland 60.7 57.7 61.2 58.6 61.0 62.7 66.5 64.8 
			 Women aged 50–59 in employment 
			 United Kingdom(100) 60.7 62.2 62.8 63.9 64.9 65.3 67.3 67.5 
			 Great Britain 61.0 62.5 63.1 64.2 65.3 65.6 67.6 67.9 
			  
			 England 62.0 63.7 64.0 65.3 66.0 66.5 68.0 68.3 
			 North East 52.3 48.1 52.5 57.8 60.6 59.9 58.6 54.7 
			 North West 56.0 58.3 58.8 57.9 60.9 61.7 68.5 65.8 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 59.0 61.6 60.8 64.0 63.8 62.6 67.9 67.3 
			 East Midlands 64.8 66.0 62.3 66.3 68.0 67.1 67.0 68.5 
			 West Midlands 60.6 63.3 63.9 64.8 64.0 66.2 65.7 67.3 
			 Eastern 65.9 66.5 67.3 68.7 68.3 69.3 72.8 73.7 
			 London 60.6 61.5 63.3 63.2 64.8 63.9 64.0 64.4 
			 South East 66.7 71.1 69.3 71.6 72.0 73.4 72.5 72.4 
			 South West 67.5 67.4 69.5 68.7 67.6 68.5 67.9 72.4 
			 Wales 55.7 50.7 52.9 56.7 56.8 54.5 62.7 62.2 
			 Scotland 53.9 57.7 60.9 58.1 63.5 63.5 66.1 66.7 
			 Northern Ireland 50.3 49.0 52.7 53.4 48.4 54.1 56.4 54.3 
		
	
	(99) As a percentage of male population aged 50–64
	(100) As a percentage of female population aged 50–59
	*Not seasonally adjusted
	Source:
	ONS: Labour Force Survey

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Archaelogical Sites (Theft)

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what studies her Department has made of (a) the incidence of theft from or criminal damage to and (b) the market value of items or artefacts stolen from sites of archaelogical interest in England and Wales since 1 June 1997.

Richard Caborn: This information is not currently available. English Heritage, however, is in the process of designing a data system that will centrally compile the statistics for damage to English sites.

Free Television Licences

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will introduce free television licences for blind and partially sighted people.

Estelle Morris: The Government introduced a 50 per cent. reduction in the television licence fee for registered blind people in April 2000. We have no plans at present to change the concessionary arrangements but will consider all aspects of BBC funding, including concessions, as part of the BBC Charter review process.

Free Television Licences

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many old age pensioners in the Great Yarmouth constituency have benefited from the introduction of free television licences.

Estelle Morris: TV Licensing, who administer free television licences for people aged 75 or over as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, 2001 Census data for parliamentary constituencies indicate that there are approximately 8,600 people aged 75 or over living in the Great Yarmouth constituency.

Arts Council Grants

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many individuals who have received an Arts Council grant have had to pay back part or all of their grant because they did not meet the standard conditions for grants in each year since 1997.

Estelle Morris: Since April 2003, one grant to an individual has been reduced due to a breach of the standard conditions.
	Figures for individuals are only available from April 2003, when Arts Council England introduced Grants for the Arts, Individuals. Previously, Arts Council England funding programmes did not make a distinction between organisations and individuals; therefore they do not hold records of this nature.

Arts Programmes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much is being spent by the Government on arts programmes in (a) Yorkshire and (b) England (i) directly and (ii) indirectly.

Estelle Morris: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not fund the arts directly, but through Arts Council England, who are responsible for distributing public money from Government.
	The following table supplied by Arts Council England provides a breakdown of the allocation of Government Grant-in-Aid, 2004–05.
	
		Arts Council England—Allocation of grant-in-Aid, 2004–05 -- £
		
			  National Yorkshire 
		
		
			 Regularly Funded Organisations (over 1,300 organisations receive guaranteed funding corresponding with the Spending Review) 280,081,000 21,363,000 
			 Total flexible funds (awards to one-off projects through an open application system) 28,000,000 — 
			 Grants for the arts, individuals (1 April 2004—10 August 2004) 2,988,000 291,000 
			 Total 315,581,000 21,654,000

Arts Programmes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the government-sponsored arts programmes in (a) London, (b) Yorkshire and (c) England (i) in 2004 and (ii) in the next five years.

Estelle Morris: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not fund the arts directly, but through Arts Council England, who are responsible for distributing public money from Government.
	Arts Council England's funding allocations correspond with the Treasury's Spending Review—the current allocations run from 2003–04 to 2005–06. Arts Council England's Spending Plan 2003–06 for Regularly Funded Organisations lists the 1,300+ organisations that receive Government Grant-in-Aid, categorised by region, and is available on their website—www.artscouncil.org.uk
	Arts Council England will announce its funding allocations for the period 2006–07 to 2007–08 in 2005.

Culture (Improved Access)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to improve accessibility to (a) sports and (b) arts for older people.

Richard Caborn: My Department fully recognises the benefits participation in activities like sport and the arts can bring to older people.
	Arts Council England funds a number of arts organisations which aim to encourage older audiences and engage older people in artistic opportunities. Older people were also a focus of the Arts Council's recent New Audiences pilot project. Over £250,000 was awarded to projects targeting older people. Projects designed for older people addressed barriers such as lack of transport, price and having no one to go with. Information about successful New Audiences projects will be disseminated to arts practitioners and arts organisations across the country.
	On Sport, Game Plan, our strategy for delivering Sport and Physical Activity Objectives, identified older people as one of the key priority groups for increasing physical activity. Following discussions with the British Heart Foundation, Sport England's 9 Regional Plans for Sport are providing the framework for regional action. Older people are also one of the target groups for Local Exercise Action Plans (LEAPs). The Public Health White Paper due in the autumn will set out the Government's proposals for increased activity across the population.

Designated Accommodation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many rooms are set aside for (a) the use of smokers, (b) worship, broken down by religion and (c) nursing mothers and pregnant women in each building and set of offices for which her Department is responsible.

Richard Caborn: DCMS leases all or part of four buildings. Two of those have a room set aside for smokers. One building has a room available to an Islamic worshipper. There are no discrete facilities for nursing mothers as children are not brought to work and pregnant women have the facility of a first aid/medical rest room in each building.

Digital Television (Bridgwater)

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people in the Bridgwater constituency do not have access to digital television.

Estelle Morris: Digital television in the UK can be accessed through Satellite, Cable or Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT).
	The BBC calculate that, of the 40,800 households in the Bridgwater constituency, around 19 per cent. (7,600) do not have access to DTT services (including Freeview). Therefore 81 per cent. (33,200) of households should be able to receive DTT from either the Mendip or Stockland Hill transmitter, compared with 73 per cent. nationwide.
	According to Ofcom figures, Digital Satellite television is available to the vast majority (96–98 per cent.) of households in the UK. Unfortunately, it is not possible to give a breakdown of Digital Satellite coverage in individual areas.
	Digital Cable is not currently available to any households in the Bridgewater constituency.

English Institute of Sport

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the budget for the English Institute of Sport is for (a) 2004–05, (b) 2005–06 and (c) 2006–07.

Richard Caborn: The English Institute of Sport (EIS) is funded by a grant from Sport England.
	For the financial year 2004–05 the budget for EIS is £8.5 million.
	For each of the financial years 2005–06 and 2006–07 the budget currently agreed by the EIS and Sport England is also £8.5 million for each year.

English Institute of Sport

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff are employed at each English Institute of Sport Hub.

Richard Caborn: The number of full-time and part-time staff employed (as of 30 July 2004) at the nine regional English Institute of Sport Hubs are as follows:
	
		
			  Full-time Part-time Total 
		
		
			 East 4 0 4 
			 East Midlands 13 2 15 
			 London 2 3 5 
			 North East 7 1 8 
			 North West 11 1 12 
			 South East 11 1 12 
			 South West 7 1 8 
			 West Midlands 4 1 5 
			 Yorkshire 8 1 9

Freeview

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many more Freeview broadcasting licences the Government are planning to grant.

Estelle Morris: Digital television services, except those provided by the BBC, S4C and TeleG, are licensed by the Office of Communications (Ofcom) under the powers granted to it by the Broadcasting Acts of 1990, 1996 and the Communications Act 2003. With the exception of the public service channels (Channel 3, 4 and 5), the choice of whether a licensed television programme service is available free of charge or as part of a subscription package is for the broadcaster to decide. Where services are to be broadcast via satellite, Ofcom does not limit the number of licences available to either pay-TV or free channels and it will issue licences to any eligible organisation wishing to broadcast television programme services provided they meet the relevant regulatory requirements, for example as to content, advertising and sponsorship issues. In relation to the digital terrestrial platform, however, spectrum capacity is a key factor in determining how many services may be licensed at any one time.

Gaming Machines

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department has held with owners of category D gaming machines in relation to the proposed ban on them in the Government's response to the Joint Select Committee on Gambling, broken down by (a) mini-cab offices, (b) fish and chip shops, (c) kebab shops, (d) other take-away food outlets and (e) others; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Many, if not most gaming machines, are owned by machine suppliers who have rental agreements with retail outlets. While the Department has had no recent discussions with trade associations representing any of the above categories of outlets, it meets regularly with trade associations who represent suppliers and manufacturers of gaming machines to discuss a range of matters relating to the Gambling Bill.

Gaming Machines

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessments her Department has made of the likely impact of the ban on category D gaming machines proposed in the Government's response to the Joint Select Committee on Gambling on (a) mini-cab companies, (b) fish and chip shops, (c) kebab shops, (d) other take-away food outlets and (e) others; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Department will publish a full Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) for the Gambling Bill when publishing it. In the meantime, consultations on the RIA continue.
	The Department's policy on the siting of Category D gaming machines acknowledges that their removal from unlicensed premises may reduce the turnover which they would otherwise have had; but we take the view that it is necessary to give more weight to the difficulties of ensuring that children are adequately supervised when using gaming machines in unlicensed premises and ensuring that unlawful machines are not sited there. We do not intend to cut back on entitlements to install machines conferred by current permits prior to their expiry.

Government Policies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on (a) sport, (b) culture and (c) art.

Richard Caborn: The Government's policy is to improve the quality of life for all through cultural and sporting activities and to support the pursuit of excellence and to champion the creative and leisure industries.
	To achieve this we have developed four strategic priorities:
	Strategic Priority 1: Children and Young People
	Further enhance access to culture and sport for children and give them the opportunity to develop their talents to the full and enjoy the full benefits of participation.
	Strategic Priority 2: Communities
	Increase and broaden the impact of culture and sport, to enrich individual lives, strengthen communities and improve the places where people live, now and for future generations.
	Strategic Priority 3: Economy
	Maximise the contribution which the tourism, creative and leisure industries can make to the economy.
	Strategic Priority 4: Modernising Delivery
	Modernising delivery by ensuring our sponsored bodies are efficient and work with others to meet the cultural and sporting needs of individuals and communities.

Human Remains

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to publish the Government's response to the report on the retention of human remains conducted by the Working Groups on Human Remains.

Estelle Morris: On Wednesday 28 July DCMS launched a consultation to assess the necessity and appropriateness of the recommendations of the Working Group on Human Remains. The consultation will run for three months, and the Government will make their response after that point.

Lower Priority Olympic Sports

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what definition the Government uses of the term "lower priority Olympic sports".

Richard Caborn: All sports were assessed in 1997–98 against UK Sport classification criteria (significance in the UK, significance internationally, international success) and more refined indicators which were: the recent record of success or achievement in the international arena, recognition as an Olympic sport, the quantity and quality of the competitive field, the number of world class performers in the UK, the public profile of the sport in the UK and the number of affiliated members in the UK.
	Based on these criteria, a number of sports were not considered to be high priority for support from UK Sport. The Olympic Sports Development Fund established by UK Sport and the BOA attempts to help such sports achieve their potential.

National Lottery

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will estimate the National Lottery-derived balances held by (a) lottery funds, (b) each arts council and (c) each national sports body as at 1 April (i) 2002, (ii) 2003 and (iii) 2004.

Estelle Morris: The information is in the table.
	
		£
		
			  1 April 2002 1 April 2003 1 April 2004 
		
		
			 Lottery bodies
			 Community Fund 401,424,347.40 299,618,282.83 213,264,652.72 
			 Heritage Lottery Fund 993,667,076.93 1,019,998,113.28 942,584,325.01 
			 Millennium Commission 386,384,791.53 217,263,126.69 155,697,623.33 
			 New Opportunities Fund 826,417,473.31 877,706,762.87 737,229,803.65 
			 Total 2,607,893,689.17 2,414,586,285.67 2,048,776,404.71 
			 
			 Arts lottery bodies
			 Arts Council England 246,267,031.91 245,670,398.81 224,087,590.60 
			 Scottish Arts Council 44,642,966.34 49,568,856.98 41,965,097.49 
			 Arts Council of Wales 32,542,529.69 30,410,338.37 23,972,897.04 
			 Arts Council of Northern Ireland 33,555,929.90 34,925,265.14 35,643,987.16 
			 UK Film Council 67,640,453.91 75,587,327.45 44,281,587.69 
			 Scottish Screen 3,637,995.37 2,273,214.37 2,194,824.31 
			 Total 428,286,907.12 438,435,401.12 372,145,984.29 
			 
			 Sport lottery bodies   
			 Sport England 382,438,489.79 268,225,324.48 201,571,121.41 
			 Scottish Sports Council 72,899,223.81 78,840,531.03 65,033,163.09 
			 Sports Council for Wales 39,765,549.00 31,719,079.87 21,471,242.28 
			 Sports Council for Northern Ireland 19,539,173.47 21,070,644.46 23,487,949.83 
			 UK Sports Council 8,011,661.64 3,630,659.65 3,786,512.05 
			 Total 522,654,097.71 403,486,239.49 315,349,988.66 
			 
			 Overall lottery total 3,558,834,694.00 3,256,507,926.28 2,736,272,377.66

PFI/PPP Contracts

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many contracts her Department had with (a) Barclays, (b) the Royal Bank of Scotland, (c) UBS Warburg and (d) the Bank of Scotland for advice on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts in each financial year since 2001–02; and what fees were paid in each case.

Richard Caborn: The Department (including the Royal Parks Agency) has had no contracts with any of these firms for advice on Public Private Partnership contracts.

Public Bodies

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people (a) the National Lottery Commission, (b) the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, (c) the Film Council, (d) the Football Task Force, (e) the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, (f) Historic Royal Palaces, (g) the Millennium Commission, (h) the New Opportunities Fund, (i) the New Millennium Experience Company Ltd., (j) Resource, (k) the Spoliation Advisory Panel, (l) the Treasure Valuation Committee, (m) the Working Group on Human Remains, (n) the Craft Council, (o) the British Film Institute, (p) the National Film and Television School, (q) the Alcohol Education and Research Council, (r) the Gaming Board for Great Britain and (s) the Horserace Betting Levy Board employs on a (i) full-time and (ii) part-time basis.

Richard Caborn: The information is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Body Full-time staff Part-time staff 
		
		
			 (a) National Lottery Commission 41 0 
			 (b) Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment 65 13 
			 (c) UK Film Council 89 1 
			 (d) Football Task Force (wound up in 1999) — — 
			 (e) National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts 91 6 
			 (f) Historic Royal Palaces 526 65 
			 (g) Millennium Commission 52 0 
			 (h) New Opportunities Fund(101) 333 30 
			 (i) New Millennium Experience Company Ltd. (in voluntary solvent liquidation) 0 0 
			 (j) Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (formerly known as Resource) 75 2 
			 (k) Spoliation Advisory Panel 0 0 
			 (l) Treasure Valuation Committee 0 0 
			 (m) Working Group on Human Remains (dissolved in 2003) — — 
			 (n) Crafts Council 39 17 
			 (o) British Film Institute 385 81 
			 (p) National Film and Television School 65 20 
			 (q) Alcohol Education and Research Council 0 2 
			 (r) Gaming Board for Great Britain 73 3 
			 (s) Horserace Betting Levy Board 23 2 
		
	
	(101) Figures for 1 April 2004. The New Opportunities Fund has since undergone an administrative merger with the Community Fund. The merged body is now operating as the Big Lottery Fund.

Public Bodies

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total salary bill has been for (a) the National Lottery Commission, (b) the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, (c) the Film Council, (d) the Football Task Force, (e) the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, (f) Historic Royal Palaces, (g) the Millennium Commission, (h) the New Opportunities Fund, (i) the New Millennium Experience Company Ltd, (j) Resource, (k) the Spoliation Advisory Panel, (l) the Treasure Valuation Committee, (m) the Working Group on Human Remains, (n) the Craft Council, (o) the British Film Institute, (p) the National Film and Television School, (q) the Adult Education and Research Council, (r) the Gaming Board for Great Britain and (s) the Horserace Betting Levy Board in each year since its creation.

Richard Caborn: The information is shown in the tables.
	(a) National Lottery Commission
	
		
			  Salary bill (£000) 
		
		
			 2003–04 1,750 
			 2002–03 1,380 
			 2001–02 1,294 
			 2000–01 1,375 
			 1999–2000 1,367 
		
	
	The figures cover the years since the National Lottery Commission's inception in its current form.
	(b) Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment
	
		
			  Salary bill (£000) 
		
		
			 2003–04 2,231 
			 2002–03 1,013 
			 2001–02 543 
			 2000–01 331 
			 1999–2000 (from 29 September—31 March) 136 
		
	
	(c) UK Film Council
	
		
			  Salary bill (£000) 
		
		
			 2003–04 5,010 
			 2002–03 4,161 
			 2001–02 3,922 
			 2000–01 2,928 
			 1999–01 176 
		
	
	(d) the Football Task Force had no staff
	(e) National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts
	
		
			  Salary bill (£000) 
		
		
			 2003–04 3,932 
			 2002–03 3,429 
			 2001–02 2,282 
			 2000–01 1,380 
			 1999–2000 944 
			 1998–99 222 
		
	
	(f) Historic Royal Palaces
	
		
			  Salary bill (£000) 
		
		
			 2003–04 17,774 
			 2002–03 16,142 
			 2001–02 14,611 
			 2000–01 13,415 
			 1999–2000 12,917 
			 1998–99 12,577 
		
	
	The figures cover the years since Historic Royal Palaces's inception in its current form.
	(g) Millennium Commission
	
		
			  Salary bill (£000) 
		
		
			 2003–04 2,647 
			 2002–03 2,754 
			 2001–02 3,460 
			 2000–01 3,834 
			 1999–2000 3,181 
			 1998–99 3,249 
			 1997–98 2,115 
			 1996–97 1,818 
			 1995–96 1,076 
			 1994–95 283 
			 Up to 31 March 1994 12 
		
	
	(h) New Opportunities Fund
	
		
			  Salary bill (£000) 
		
		
			 2003–04 11,597 
			 2002–03 9,769 
			 2001–02 7,036 
			 2000–01 4,591 
			 1999–2000 2,329 
			 1998–99 401 
		
	
	(i) New Millennium Experience Co. Ltd.
	
		
			  Salary bill (£000) 
		
		
			 January—December 2001 4,642 
			 January 2000—December 2000 40,055 
			 April 1999—December 1999 14,194 
			 April 1998—March 1999 7,121 
			 February 1997—March 1998 2,493 
		
	
	(j) Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (formerly known as Resource)
	
		
			  Salary bill (£000) 
		
		
			 2003–04 3,062 
			 2002–03 2,601 
			 2001–02 2,380 
			 2000–01 2,053 
		
	
	(k) the Spoliation Advisory Panel has no staff
	(l) the Treasure Valuation Committee has no staff
	(m) the Working Group on Human Remains had no staff
	(n) Crafts Council
	
		
			  Salary bill (£000) 
		
		
			 2003–04 not yet available 
			 2002–03 1,481 
			 2001–02 1,376 
			 2000–01 1,199 
			 1999–2000 1,019 
			 1998–99 1,118 
		
	
	The earlier figures for the years since the Crafts Council's creation could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	(o) British Film Institute
	
		
			  Salary bill (£000) 
		
		
			 2003–04 not yet available 
			 2002–03 15,381 
			 2001–02 13,243 
			 2000–01 11,034 
			 1999–2000 11,383 
			 1998–99 10,981 
		
	
	The earlier figures for the years since the British Film Institute's creation could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	(p) National Film and Television School
	
		
			  Salary bill (£000) 
		
		
			 2003 2,387 
			 2002 2,551 
			 2001 2,611 
			 2000 2,850 
			 1999 2,639 
		
	
	The earlier figures for the years since the National Film and Television School's creation could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	(q) Alcohol Education and Research Council
	
		
			  Salary bill (£000) 
		
		
			 2003–04 63 
			 2002–03 74 
			 2001–02 61 
			 2000–01 61 
		
	
	The earlier figures for the years since the Alcohol Education and Research Council's creation could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	(r) Gaming Board for Great Britain
	
		
			  Salary bill (£000) 
		
		
			 2003–04 2,399 
			 2002–03 2,391 
			 2001–02 2,236 
			 2000–01 2,090 
			 1999–2000 2,073 
		
	
	The earlier figures for the years since the Gaming Board for Great Britain's creation could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	(s) Horserace Betting Levy Board
	
		
			  Salary bill (£000) 
		
		
			 2003–04 1,046 
			 2002–03 1,037 
			 2001–02 925 
			 2000–01 961 
			 1999–2000 909 
		
	
	The earlier figures for the years since the Horserace Betting Levy Board's creation could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Public Bodies

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people who work for (a) the National Lottery Commission, (b) the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, (c) the Film Council, (d) the Football Task Force, (e) the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, (f) Historic Royal Palaces, (g) the Millennium Commission, (h) the New Opportunities Fund, (i) the New Millennium Experience Company Ltd, (j) Resource, (k) the Spoliation Advisory Panel, (l) the Treasure Valuation Committee, (m) the Working Group on Human Remains, (n) the Craft Council, (o) the British Film Institute, (p) the National Film and Television School, (q) the Adult Education and Research Council, (r) the Gaming Board for Great Britain and (s) the Horserace Betting Levy Board are entitled to a final salary pension scheme.

Richard Caborn: The information is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Body Number entitled to a final salary pension scheme 
		
		
			 (a) National Lottery Commission 40 
			 (b) Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment 78 
			 (c) UK Film Council 55 
			 (d) Football Task Force (wound up in 1999) — 
			 (e) National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts 31 
			 (f) Historic Royal Palaces 445 
			 (g) Millennium Commission 0 
			 (h) New Opportunities Fund (Figure for 1 April 2004. The New Opportunities Fund has since undergone an administrative merger with the Community Fund. The merged body is now operating as the Big Lottery Fund) 363 
			 (i) New Millennium Experience Company Ltd. (in voluntary solvent liquidation) 0 
			 (j) Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (formerly known as Resource) 77 
			 (k) Spoliation Advisory Panel 0 
			 (l) Treasure Valuation Committee 0 
			 (m) Working Group on Human Remains (dissolved in 2003) — 
			 (n) Crafts Council 10 
			 (o) British Film Institute 264 
			 (p) National Film and Television School 42 
			 (q) Alcohol Education and Research Council 0 
			 (r) Gaming Board for Great Britain 77 
			 (s) Horserace Betting Levy Board 21

Public Bodies

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the remit is of (a) the National Lottery Commission, (b) the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, (c) the Film Council, (d) the Football Task Force, (e) the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, (f) the Millennium Commission, (g) the New Opportunities Fund, (h) the New Millennium Experience Company Ltd., (i) Resource, (j) the Spoliation Advisory Panel, (k) the Treasure Valuation Committee, (l) the Working Group on Human Remains, (m) the Craft Council, (n) the British Film Institute, (o) the National Film and Television School, (p) the Alcohol Education and Research Council, (q) the Gaming Board for Great Britain and (r) the Horserace Betting Levy Board.

Richard Caborn: The terms of reference for public bodies are contained in the annual Cabinet Office publication Public Bodies. Copies are available in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The bodies listed are contained in Public Bodies 2003, with the following exceptions:
	The Football Task Force, which was dissolved in 1999.
	The New Millennium Experience Company Ltd., which is in voluntary solvent liquidation.
	The Crafts Council. The object of the Crafts Council shall be to advance and encourage the creation of works of fine craftsmanship and to foster, promote and increase the interest of the public in the work of craftspeople and in the accessibility of those works to the public.
	The British Film Institute. The objects of the British Film Institute are contained in its Royal Charter, available on the British Film Institute website (www.bfi.org.uk).
	The National Film and Television School. The mission of the National Film and Television School is to educate the best creative talent to the highest professional standard for tomorrow's screen media industries.

Public Bodies

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what annual Government expenditure on (a) the National Lottery Commission, (b) the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, (c) the Film Council, (d) the Football Task Force, (e) the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, (f) the Millennium Commission, (g) the New Opportunities Fund, (h) the New Millennium Experience Company Ltd., (i) Resource, (j) the Spoliation Advisory Panel, (k) the Treasure Valuation Committee, (l) the Working Group on Human Remains, (m) the Craft Council, (n) the British Film Institute, (o) the National Film and Television School, (p) the Alcohol Education and Research Council, (q) the Gaming Board for Great Britain and (r) the Horserace Betting Levy Board was in each year since its creation.

Richard Caborn: Expenditure on the National Lottery Commission, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, UK Film Council, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (formerly known as Resource), the National Film and Television School and the Gaming Board for Great Britain is shown in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's Annual Report 2004, Vol. 1 (Cm 6220) and in previous editions. Copies are available in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The Gaming Board for Great Britain has been sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport since 2001. Expenditure figures for earlier years are contained in the Annual Reports of the Home Office, which are available from the Libraries of both Houses.
	Expenditure on the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts is contained in its 2002–03 Annual Report, copies of which are available in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The Millennium Commission and the New Opportunities Fund are funded by money raised from the National Lottery. (The New Opportunities Fund has undergone an administrative merger with the Community Fund and the merged body is now operating as the Big Lottery Fund). The New Millennium Experience Company Ltd. (now in voluntary solvent liquidation) was funded by the Millennium Commission.
	The Spoliation Advisory Panel and the Treasure Evaluation Committee (and the Working Group on Human Remains and Football Task Force, when they existed) form part of the Administration and Research budget of DCMS; they are not recipients of grant-in-aid. Their administration costs are borne by the DCMS, whose staff provide secretariat support, accommodation and legal advice. These costs are centrally budgeted and could be disaggregated only at disproportionate cost. Details of the Department's administration costs are published in the Department's Annual Report.
	The Crafts Council is funded mainly by Arts Council England and earned income and has not received any direct Government funding since 1998–99.
	The British Film Institute is funded by the UK Film Council and earned income and has not received any direct Government funding since 1999–2000.
	The Alcohol Education and Research Fund is vested in and administered by the Alcohol Education and Research Council (AERC) and the AERC does not receive any direct Government funding.
	The Horserace Betting Levy Board is funded by collection of a statutory levy and does not receive any direct Government expenditure.

Public Bodies

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people who work for (a) Culture North East, (b) the East Midlands Cultural Consortium, (c) Living east, (d) the North West Cultural Consortium, (e) the South East England Cultural Consortium, (f) the South West Regional Cultural Consortium, (g) the West Midlands Life Cultural Consortium and (h) the Yorkshire Cultural Consortium are entitled to a final salary pension scheme.

Richard Caborn: The information requested is in the table. The Regional Cultural Consortiums do not at present directly employ any staff themselves. Those who work for the Consortiums are employed by other regional agencies and partners and may be entitled to join the pension schemes of the organisations which employ them. Not all those entitled to join a final salary pension scheme are currently members of that scheme.
	
		
			  Consortium Staff entitled to a final salary pension scheme 
		
		
			 Culture North East 3 
			 East Midlands Cultural Consortium 1 
			 Living East 3 
			 The Cultural Consortium England's Northwest 4 
			 South East England Cultural Consortium 2 
			 Culture South West 0 
			 West Midlands Life 4 
			 Yorkshire Culture 5

Public Bodies

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total salary has been for (a) Culture North East, (b) the East Midlands Cultural Consortium, (c) Living east, (d) the North West Cultural Consortium, (e) the South East England Cultural Consortium, (f) the South West Regional Cultural Consortium, (g) the West Midlands Life Cultural Consortium and (h) the Yorkshire Cultural Consortium in each year since its creation.

Richard Caborn: The information requested is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Regional Cultural Consortiums do not at present directly employ any staff themselves. Those who work for the Consortiums are employed by other regional agencies and partners and paid by those organisations. In most cases, the salary costs are subsequently invoiced to the Department for payment from the resources allocated to the Consortiums, but the Department does not record these costs separately from other Consortium expenditure.

Public Bodies

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people (a) Culture North East, (b) the East Midlands Cultural Consortium, (c) Living east, (d) the North West Cultural Consortium, (e) the South East England Cultural Consortium, (f) the South West Regional Cultural Consortium, (g) the West Midlands Life Cultural Consortium and (h) the Yorkshire Cultural Consortium employs on a (i) full-time and (ii) part-time basis.

Richard Caborn: The Regional Cultural Consortiums do not at present directly employ any staff themselves. Those who work for the Consortiums are employed by other regional agencies and partners and seconded to work for the Consortiums. The number of people currently working full-time and part-time for each Consortium is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Consortium Full-time staff Part-time staff 
		
		
			 Culture North East 3 0 
			 East Midlands Cultural Consortium 1 1 
			 Living East 3 0 
			 The Cultural Consortium England's Northwest 3 2 
			 South East England Cultural Consortium 1 1 
			 Culture South West 4 0 
			 West Midlands Life 4 0 
			 Yorkshire Culture 5 0

Public Bodies

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the Government expenditure on (a) Culture North East, (b) the East Midlands Cultural Consortium, (c) Living east, (d) the North West Cultural Consortium, (e) the South East England Cultural Consortium, (f) the South West Regional Cultural Consortium, (g) the West Midlands Life Cultural Consortium and (h) the Yorkshire Cultural Consortium was in each year since its creation.

Richard Caborn: The information requested is in the table.
	
		Regional Cultural Consortiums Annual Expenditure,from DCMS funds -- £
		
			 Consortium 1999–2000(102) 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04(103) 
		
		
			 Culture North East 1,355 41,855 32,415 92,952 197,326 
			 East Midlands Cultural Consortium 857 34,366 15,927 108,880 141,267 
			 Living East 388 26,358 31,621 110,150 184,763 
			 The Cultural Consortium England's Northwest 230 21,995 32,890 93,686 240,695 
			 South East England Cultural Consortium 968 20,229 36,929 30,242 204,862 
			 Culture South West 4.823 33,609 22,043 152,725 213,750 
			 West Midlands Life 1,613 31,089 6,097 120,100 223,217 
			 Yorkshire Culture 829 29,800 17,326 131,450 217,629 
		
	
	(102) The Regional Cultural Consortiums were established in October 1999.
	(103) Expected outturn.

Public Swimming Pools

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what action she has taken to ensure that access to public swimming pools in London increases;
	(2)  what action she (a) can and (b) will take to increase the number of swimming pools in London.

Richard Caborn: Sport England is working with the Amateur Swimming Association on an agreed strategy "From Armbands to Gold Medals" to support the development of swimming in London and across the country.
	At present, Sport England is working with the Greater London Authority (GLA), London Development Agency (LDA) and London 2012 on the provision of new swimming facilities in Stratford which will be built whether the Olympic bid is successful or not.
	Sport England is also working to encourage greater investment in privately owned swimming facilities that provide public access.
	Under the Community Club Development Programme, the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) will receive £1.6 million from the Government's Capital Modernisation Fund to invest strategically in community swimming clubs in all parts of the country.
	The overall aim of the programme is to both increase and widen participation in sport at a local level and encourage an active lifestyle. It is expected that this programme will help to raise the number of people, particularly juniors, involved in competitive sport and will also help to improve the health of the nation through encouraging people of all ages to become involved in the sport of their choice.

Public Swimming Pools

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) public lidos and (b) swimming pools have closed in London since 1997.

Richard Caborn: Since 1997, three public lidos and five swimming pools have closed.
	Of the five swimming pools that have closed, one is due to be replaced in 2005 (Swiss Cottage Baths).
	There are currently 104 pools in London open to the public. This includes two pools that are currently run independently of local authorities, but fully open to the public (these are Brockwell Lido and Hampton outdoor pool).

Public Swimming Pools

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public swimming pools there are in Coventry, South.

Richard Caborn: There are 18 swimming pools within a five-mile distance of the CV1 postcode in Coventry, South. Full details of all public swimming pools in the area can be found by visiting the Active Places website at www.activeplaces.com

Public Transport

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has held with (a) the Department of Transport, (b) transport authorities, (c) public transport user groups and (d) companies operating public transport services on ensuring that public transport services are able to respond to the increased demand for late night services arising from increased use of late licences resulting from powers granted to licensing authorities under the Licensing Act 2003.

Richard Caborn: The implementation of the Licensing Act 2003 can have no impact on the demand for late night transport services until November 2005 at the earliest. The content of the Licensing Act 2003 and the Licensing Guidance issued by the Secretary of State on 7 July this year, following approval by Parliament, were discussed with and approved by the Department for Transport. There have been no direct discussions with individual transport authorities, public transport user groups and companies operating public transport services other than through the public consultations that preceded the introduction of the Licensing Bill and the laying of the Guidance in Parliament. At paragraph 3.50, the Licensing Guidance advises licensing authorities when developing local statements of licensing policy to have regard to the existing policies and strategies of the relevant local transport authority as set out in their local Transport Plan. Local Transport Plans are the mechanism by which local authorities are expected to work in partnership with all appropriate bodies to deliver effective local transport services that meet the needs of local people. These are expected to include provision of night-time and evening services, where this is appropriate to the local situation. It is for local authorities to identify where and how to take action.

Regional Cultural Consortiums

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the remit is of the regional cultural consortiums.

Richard Caborn: The remit of the Regional Cultural Consortiums is set out in the Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies", copies of which are available in the Libraries of both Houses. The role of the Consortiums is to champion the whole spectrum of cultural and creative interests in the regions, including tourism and sport. The Consortiums have responsibility for implementing the regional cultural strategies and they have a role in central policy-making, regional data collection and research.

School Sports

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many children aged between five and 16 years she estimates have not participated in at least two hours per week of physical activity and sport at school this year.

Richard Caborn: The information requested is not held centrally for all pupils.
	As a result of the 2004 Spending Review the PE, School Sport and Club Links PSA target is being increased and extended to 2008. The ambition is to further increase the percentage of five to 16-year-olds spending a minimum of two hours a week on high quality PE and school sport from 75 per cent. in 2006 to 85 per cent. by 2008. The target also seeks to ensure that all School Sport Partnerships are able to demonstrate that at least 75 per cent. of their pupils spend a minimum of two hours a week on high quality PE and schools sport. From this month, 50 per cent. of schools will be in a School Sport Partnership.

School Sports

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many schools in the Bridgwater constituency (a) are and (b) are not participating in a school sports partnership.

Richard Caborn: Within the constituency of Bridgwater there is one School Sport Partnership, based around the hub school, King Alfred's, and comprising four secondary schools, 25 primary schools and two special schools. All schools within Bridgwater will be within a School Sport Partnership by September 2006.

Shooting

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she plans to meet the governing bodies of shooting in the near future.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to meet the governing bodies of shooting in the near future. Officials from the Home Office and Defra have recently met representatives from the governing bodies of shooting to discuss the Home Office consultation on firearms. DCMS officials will continue discussions with Home Office and Defra officials to ensure that the interests of shooting clubs are given appropriate consideration.

Shooting

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she last met representatives of the governing bodies of shooting to discuss the impact of recent legislation on the sport.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not met representatives of the governing bodies of shooting to discuss the impact of recent legislation.

Sport England

Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the budget of Sport England in the North East region of England was in each of the last three years.

Richard Caborn: The following table provides figures for Sport England's budget in the North East region for each of the last three financial years and the current financial year.
	
		£ million
		
			 North East budgets 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Exchequer 1.16 1.17 2.59 1.17 
			 Lottery(104) 15.23 18.70 5.33 11.49 
			 Total budget 16.39 19.87 7.92 12.66 
		
	
	(104) Lottery includes Community Schemes and Awards for All

Sports Lottery Fund

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total reserves in the Sports Lottery Fund are.

Richard Caborn: Balances held by each of the sports Lottery distributors as at 1 August 2004 are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Distributing body Balance (£) 
		
		
			 Sport England 193,912,849.51 
			 Sport Scotland 60,688,533.81 
			 Sports Council for Wales 17,974,275.50 
			 Sports Council of Northern Ireland 24,127,137.58 
			 UK Sport 2,880,357.25 
			 Total 299,583,153.65

St. Kitts Maritime Archaeological Project

Nick Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to assist maritime archaeology of sunken British vessels in the waters off Commonwealth countries, with particular reference to wrecks off St. Kitts being researched by the St. Kitts Maritime Archaeological Project.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 19 July 2004
	We have no current plans to assist the St. Kitts Maritime Archaeological Project.

Tourism

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much revenue she estimates tourism generated for (a) the East of England and (b) Suffolk in each of the last seven years.

Richard Caborn: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) The available figures for tourism expenditure in the East of England region are shown in the table.
	
		Tourism expenditure in the East of England region by year(105)
		
			 £ million Visits by overseas residents Trips by domestic residents with an overnight stay Tourism day trips by domestic residents Total 
		
		
			 1997 500 n/a(106) n/a n/a 
			 1998 550 n/a(106) 2,870 n/a 
			 1999 550 n/a(106) n/a n/a 
			 2000 650 1,540 n/a n/a 
			 2001 520 1,800 n/a n/a 
			 2002 620 1,700 2,930 5,250 
			 2003 590 nya n/a n/a 
		
	
	(105)Sample sizes at this level of detail will be small which means that the estimates will be subject to a high margin of error. Particular caution should therefore be exercised when comparing any two of the estimates.
	(106)Figures for overnight stays by domestic tourists are taken from the UK Tourism Survey. Comparable figures at regional level prior to 2000 are not available due to a major change in survey methodology.
	n/a = not available,
	nya = not yet available
	Sources:
	International Passenger Survey, UK Tourism Survey, GB Leisure Day Visits Survey
	(b) The available figures for tourism expenditure in Suffolk are shown in the table. Figures for tourism day trips are only available at regional level.
	
		Tourism expenditure in Suffolk by year(107)
		
			 £ million Visits by overseas residents Trips by domestic residents with an overnight stay Tourism day trips by domestic residents (109) Total 
		
		
			 1997 30 n/a(108) n/a n/a 
			 1998 40 n/a(108) n/a n/a 
			 1999 55 n/a(108) n/a n/a 
			 2000 50 225 n/a n/a 
			 2001 40 310 n/a n/a 
			 2002 70 160 n/a n/a 
			 2003 40 nya n/a n/a 
		
	
	(107) Sample sizes at this level of detail will be small which means that the estimates will be subject to a high margin of error. Particular caution should therefore be exercised when comparing any two of the estimates.
	(108) Figures for overnight stays by domestic tourists are taken from the UK Tourism Survey. Comparable figures at regional level prior to 2000 are not available due to a major change in survey methodology.
	(109) Due to small sample sizes in the GB Day Visits Survey, data are not available below Government Office Region level.
	n/a = not available
	nya = not yet available
	Sources:
	International Passenger Survey, UK Tourism Survey

Tourism

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government are taking to support the tourism industry in Bridgwater.

Richard Caborn: Since April 2003, the Regional Development Agencies have had strategic responsibility for tourism development in the regions, reflecting its importance as a driver of regional economies. Over 2003–06, South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) will receive £403,000 per annum from my Department for tourism development activity, which is currently passed to the Regional Tourist Board, South West Tourism (SWT), as core funding. The board of SWRDA has recently endorsed the new tourism strategy, 'Towards 2015' and additional funding of £1.5 million per annum for the next four years has been proposed to cover its implementation. SWRDA has also funded other projects which benefit tourism in the region, including regional marketing, the Tourism Skills Network and capital investment in regional attractions.
	DCMS has made available to VisitBritain in 2004–05 grant in aid of £35.5 million to promote Britain overseas and £12.9 million to lead the domestic marketing of England. Tourism in Bridgwater benefits from this expenditure, as does the rest of the country.

Tourism

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to visit Herefordshire to promote it as a tourist destination for (a) British and (b) foreign holiday-makers.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State currently has no official plans to visit Herefordshire. However, Herefordshire is promoted both globally and domestically in many of VisitBritain's campaigns. Domestically, it is featured in the flagship £2.5 million 'enjoyEngland' campaign and other themed promotions. For example, in the 'Outdoor England' campaign the region's natural attractions, such as the Wye Valley walk and the Forest of Dean are featured. Internationally, the county is included in campaigns such as 'Good Living', 'Lifestyle & Culture' and 'Hidden Britain'. Further information can be obtained from VisitBritain's website www.visitbritain.com.